President Bola Tinubu has declared that his sweeping reforms have restored global respect for Nigeria and stabilised the country’s struggling economy.
Speaking at the State House on Tuesday while hosting a delegation of monarchs led by Ghandi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Tinubu said Nigeria had been dragged down for years by corruption, fake records, smuggling, and fraudulent currency trading.
“We had to take those actions [reforms]. With your prayers, patience, perseverance and understanding, I can tell you today that the economy is stabilised. The bleeding has stopped. Haemorrhage is gone; the patient is alive,” Tinubu said, according to Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy.
The president pointed to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) as proof of his government’s commitment to investing in the future, describing education as the “greatest weapon you can give to human beings against poverty”. He also highlighted progress in infrastructure projects within just two years in office.
Olaoye praised Tinubu’s courage in removing fuel subsidies and reforming the foreign exchange market, saying the policies have enabled more students to continue schooling. He thanked the president for reviving the long-abandoned Oyo-Ogbomosho road project and appealed for improved water, power supply, and an upgraded hospital in Ogbomoso.
The monarch was accompanied by other traditional rulers and community leaders, including Samuel Otolorin, Areago of Ogbomosoland; Oyetunji Adeyeye, Alajaawa of Ajaawa; and Ogundare Oluwakemi Rebecca, Iyalode of Ogbomosoland.
Tinubu’s comments follow his recent pitch to investors in Brazil, where he claimed his reforms had ended corruption, boosted revenue, and made Nigeria more competitive.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
