Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians ventilating their grievances over the prevailing economic hardship in the country, to do so in a responsible and decent manner as the present administration does not plan to make lives difficult for Nigerians.
The Vice President who stated this at the 29th pre-Ramadan lecture organised by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Muslim Alumni, added that the current administration would have adopted an milder alternative to its recent policies if the options were beneficial.
Represented by his special adviser on political matters, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Shettima said that the federal government is left with no choice than to implement certain policies which are “more telling on the poor”.
He emphasized that the consequences of the past are the stark realities being faced by the present administration, which have resulted to rising cost of living and pessimism over the Tinubu-led administration’s prospect to reposition the economy in the direction of growth and inclusive development.
“Yet, my brothers and sisters, we do not have the choice of continuing in the direction that brought us where we are today. We have to fix this country, and failure to do this is not an option. All the options we have are difficult and challenging, and they are, without a doubt, more telling on the poor. If there are easier and reliable alternatives to the policy choices we have adopted, we would have adopted them”. He added.
Shettima who assured that the present administration does not plan to deceive or make the lives of Nigerians more difficult, also noted that the federal government is aware that the forthcoming Ramadan will come with severe challenges for most Nigerians.
He explained further, “Fellow alumni, I appeal to you to help make space for our administration to achieve the goal of turning our nation around. As products of a distinguished institution, we have learnt that progress is only possible if it is informed by criticism and critical scrutiny. We expect that Nigerians should express their feelings over our circumstances in a responsible and mature manner.”
