CITIZENS COMPASS – President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, held its first media chat led by Dr Ruben Abati of Arise News Television.
Others were Azu Ishikwene of Leadership, Babajide Otitoju of Television Continental (TVC), and Muape Ogun of Channels Television among others.
President Tinubu in the chat said that he has no regrets removing the fuel subsidy regime.
The media chat was held at about 9.p.m. and was transmitted live by some media houses.
Tinubu said that fuel subsidy removal has come to stay and he has no regret about it.
According to him, Nigerians must both learn to cut their coats to their size. He also affirmed that the tax reform initiated by his administration is here to stay.
President Tinubu said that there are no dead woods in his cabinet and that Nigeria cannot also continue to subsidise its neighbouring countries with cheap fuel from Nigeria.
He had been asked if he had any regrets removing the fuel subsidy at the same time with the floatation of the naira given the problems the twin policies have caused.
He said, “I have no regret removing the subsidy,” doubling down on the assertion of administration officials and political allies.
He expressed concern on the spate of casualties that arose from the distribution of palliatives by some charities. Noting that the distribution may not have been properly done by the organisers.
While he expressed his condolences to the families of the bereaved, he said that the casualties may have arisen from the poor organization. Noting that he had personally been distributing palliatives for the past 18 years, Tinubu during the media chat said that he had not suffered the kind of disaster that happened recently in Ibadan, Abuja and Anambra State.
President Tinubu rebuffed insinuations that the 2025 budget was not properly coordinated especially in respect to debt servicing as he asserted that his administration has prioritized fiscal discipline and thrown out the practice of printing money as a way of projecting government service.
“I do not want to inflict pain on anybody, no. we want this country to grow, there is no other way, and except we invest in our today,” Tinubu said.
Speaking on the tax reforms, he said that it is pro-poor. “All we are asking for is to widen the tax net and bake the cake.” According to him the philosophy of a good leader is to do the best thing at the best time.
President Tinubu during the media chat also debunked claims of dead woods in his cabinet saying that everyone in the cabinet is adding to the value of his government. Tinubu charged one of the panellists in the media chat, Babajide Otitoju, to show him a dead wood in his cabinet.
While noting that the administration has not taken a dime from the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in the last three months, he described the development as indicative of his reengineering of governance. He as such scored himself excellent, drawing a sharp remark from Muape Ogun.
