The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, has said that President Bola Tinubu needs more time to properly implement the reforms that will transform the economy.
This is as he defended Tinubu’s long-term plans for the country, noting that they are necessary to develop the nation.
Malagi urged Nigerians to be patient with the reforms, saying that the dividends of the long-term plan cannot be known in a short time.
The minister stated these on Thursday when he appeared on a live television programme.
He noted that it was still early to judge the president as he has only been in office for seven months while noting that Tinubu’s vision is clear: to take Nigeria to ‘the desired prosperity.’
“I want you to remember that the President is seven months old in office. I am not going to make excuses that seven months is just a short time.
“But for a long-term plan, you need a lot more time to put structures in place. But of course, as you trudge along, there will be shocks, turbulence, and occasional dislocations that you would find. But the vision of the president is very clear: he wants to take Nigeria to the desired prosperity.
“He works day and night to achieve that. Every day, all the ministers and everyone else are working in that direction, but the results are not seen yet. We ask Nigerians to be a little more patient.
“I know it’s difficult, especially when people are finding it hard to purchase food items as a result of these policies, but the government is doing a lot to address them,” he said.
Tinubu in his inaugural address after taking the oath of office on May 29, 2023, announced that the Federal Government was closing the curtains over the subsidy era.
Justifying the decision, Tinubu said the fuel subsidy had to end because the country could not maintain it.
He added that the trillions of naira yearly spent to sustain the subsidy were meant to better the healthcare and transportation sector, schools, housing, and national security, among others.
