By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President Bola Tinubu administration as the people in crucial positions in previous government had battered the economy.
Akpabio noted that Tinubu is grappling to fix the terrible economy people like Mr Godwin Emefiele, immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) bequeathed to the current administration and touch the lives of Nigerians across the ethnic divide.
He stressed that Nigeria was on life support before Tinubu was elected the president in 2023.
Akpabio revealed 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 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 noted that the president has touched many lives through continuous constituency projects across the country, adding that the regional commissions set up across the country are aimed at the development of the regions and empowerment of the people.
He further maintained that Tinubu has shown so much love to the South East by giving a key ministry- the Ministry of Works to them and signing the South East Development Commission into an act of parliament even as he explained that every other regional development Commissions would be signed in no distant time.
His words, “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 bags of rice, fleets of cars, generating sets, deep freezers, tractors, Tricycle vans, Tricycles and Mini-buses, Motorcycles, sewing machines, Make-up kits, Two Hundred Thousand Naira cash transfers to 2000 undergraduates among others, Akpabio said the gesture was supported by the president to thank the people for their votes and supports.
He commended governor Umo Eno for his peaceful disposition saying he would reciprocate the kind gesture of the governor during Christmas when he sent 1000 bags of rice to APC in the state by sending 1,500 bags of rice to the PDP even as he directed that the PDP Chairman should 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, generating set, deep freezers to store their fish and other things, tricycles for those bringing palm produce from the villages, those in fashion we have sewing machines, makeup kits, etc For beneficiaries, use your items well,” he said.
