President Bola Tinubu on Friday said the backlash that followed his administration’s removal of fuel subsidy was “high voltage,” but maintained that Nigeria is better off for the policy decision.
Tinubu spoke during an interfaith breaking of fast with members of the House of Representatives, where he reflected on the early days of his administration and the resistance to key economic reforms.
The president acknowledged that many Nigerians initially struggled to understand the direction of his thinking, particularly regarding the removal of fuel subsidy and the floatation of the naira.
“It was initially very difficult at the beginning for people to realize the direction of my thinking but I’m glad that with the heat of the critics, none of you came to me to say can you reverse the removal of subsidy or can you change the foreign exchange floatation of naira? I am glad we are out of the dark tunnel,” he said.
Tinubu commended lawmakers for their support, saying their collaboration encouraged him to press on despite intense public criticism.
“You collaborated and joined together as a team and gave me the inspiration to move on because the heat was high voltage from the critics but today we are better off for it,” he added.
The president also told the lawmakers that they deserved a second term in office, subject to the decisions of their respective political parties.
Fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate reforms have been among the most controversial policies of the Tinubu administration, drawing both praise from economic reform advocates and criticism from Nigerians grappling with rising living costs.
