Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu as he works to fix the nation’s economy and touch the lives of Nigerians across all ethnic divides.
Akpabio stated that Nigeria was on life support before Tinubu was elected president in 2023, adding that despite the ugly situation, the president was determined to fix the battered economy.
Akpabio disclosed this at Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, during his constituency briefing/empowerment on Monday.
“President Tinubu met a very bad condition on the ground; nobody envied him. He said he was determined to change the situation; let us encourage him to change the situation.
“We believe that at the end of the day, we will move the country forward. He did it in Lagos before, and he will do it again in Nigeria; just give him time, and he will take us to our El Dorado.
“I want us to know that Nigeria was on life support when the people voted Tinubu to become the president. One day I asked him, Mr. President, after becoming the president and seeing the level of the economy that Emefiele left behind, are you excited? He said, Well, I’m determined to change the situation,” Akpabio stated.
The Senate president also stated that the president has touched many people’s lives through ongoing constituency initiatives across the country, as well as regional commissions established across the country to promote regional development and citizen empowerment.
He went on to say that Tinubu has shown a lot of love for the South East by giving them a key ministry, the Ministry of Works, and signing the South East Development Commission into an act of parliament, while also stating that all other regional development commissions would be signed in the near future.
Akpabiot said, “The president has shown the South East love; he has signed the South East Development Commission into an act of parliament. In addition, key ministries have been allocated, not on the basis of votes but on the NEEDS basis.
“The South East has a lot of ecological problems; the South East has very poor roads, just like the South South, and Mr. President decided to give us the Ministry of Works in addition to other key ministries, even the petroleum and gas ministry.
“Akwa Ibom is sitting on gas, all the way from Utapete down to Ibeno. Above all, the president allowed our state to produce the No. 3 Citizen, the Senate President; the last time we had such an opportunity was in 1979. President Tinubu deserves all our support.”
While distributing items such as rice bags, car fleets, generator sets, deep freezers, tractors, tricycle vans, tricycles, and mini-buses; motorcycles; sewing machines; make-up kits; and two hundred thousand naira cash transfers to 2000 undergraduates, Akpabio stated that the president supported the gesture as a way to thank the people for their votes and support.
He praised Governor Umo Eno for his peaceful disposition, saying he would reciprocate the governor’s kind gesture during Christmas, when he sent 1000 bags of rice to the APC in the state by sending 1,500 bags of rice to the PDP, even as he directed that the PDP Chairman get the rice immediately for his members.
“I want to appreciate the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno. Without peace, there will not be development. The governor has decided to embrace all Akwa Ibom people irrespective of political lines. Even during Christmas, the governor sent 1000 bags of rice to APC in the state, and because of that, I request that the PDP chairman should come forward and take 1500 bags of rice for his members.
“We are touching all local governments; they will receive Keke Napep, a generating set, deep freezers to store their fish and other things, tricycles for those bringing palm produce from the villages, and those in fashion we have sewing machines, makeup kits, etc. For beneficiaries, use your items well,” Akpabio said.
