Mary Onyia
For the second time in less than a week, following the rioting, looting and vandalization of private and public properties by infiltrators during the nationwide protests, President Bola Tinubu has pleaded with Nigerians to exercise patience with his administration, promising that all their good and helpful plans will soon begin to yield positive results.
Tinubu made this appeal, Wednesday, in Abuja, acknowledging the pains Nigerians are going through as a result of fuel subsidy removal, while assuring Nigerians of a new dawn.
The president assured that the measures his government has taken would get the country out of the lingering economic crisis and implored Nigerians to have faith in his administration.
“Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there’s no doubt that it is tough on us but I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture. All our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work. Sadly, there was an avoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully online,” he said.
“I plead with you, please, have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being. We will get out of this turbulence and due to the measures we have taken, Nigeria will be better equipped and able to take advantage of the future that awaits her.
“For example, we shall fulfil our promise to make education more affordable to all and provide loans to higher education students who may need them. No Nigerian students will have to abandon the higher education system because of lack of money.
“Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On principle, we shall never falter, I assure you, my fellow countrymen and women, that we are exiting the darkness to enter a new and glorious dawn. Now, I must get back to work to make this vision come true,” he added
The protest which started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, in most states of the federation over hardship in the country as a result of some ‘harsh’ policies of the present government has persisted in mostly northern part of the country with no signs of abating despite government’s pleas that the protesters should stop the agitations, with assurances of looking into their grievances.
The protest was initially billed to last for ten days starting from August 1 to August 10, 2024.