A multi-functional group, Progressive Nigerians For Sustainable Future, PNSF, has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the successes his administration recorded in the last 100 Days.
PNSF delivered the message at a forum in Abuja on Saturday while presenting the administration’s scorecard as part of activities marking the administration’s first 100 Days in office.
Co-convener of the group, Prince Ade Omole, congratulated the President and his second in command, Vice President Kassim Shettima, for steering the ship of the Nigerian state in the right direction since the administration came to office on May 29,2023.
“…I extend my heartfelt congratulations to HE, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and HE, Vice President Kassim Shettima, GCON, for steering the ship of state in the right direction since May 29, 2023. I also want to congratulate the President and Vice on the victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and commend their maturity and statesmanship,”
Prince Omole highlighted the administration’s achievements to include the removal of fuel Subsidy which, he described as having short term harsh pains but long term gains.
Describing the administration’s actions as” first line charge”, Prince Omole identified one of the policy’s gains to include the rise in national revenue which has resulted in consequential financial windfall for the country’s federating states in terms of monthly federation allocations.
“On President Tinubu’s Inauguration day on Monday, May 29, 2023, he announced that fuel Subsidy had ended, reiterating that it was dead and and buried. Yes, the removal of fuel subsidy has caused and continues to cause socio-economic dislocation in the polity, measures have also been taken to cushion the economic effects. We cannot be oblivious to this hardship because the removal must have it’s short-run pain if we must have a long-run gain as a country.
“The other side of this fuel subsidy removal coin is the amount (at least Nt trillion) of savings accrued to the national coffers. It is important to stress that this substantial financial windfall has increased the federal allocations of our subnational governments since July 2023. As a result, state governments have a new lease on their financial purse string as more funds are available for capital projects,” Prince Omole explained.
The Co-convener noted with pride the President’s drive for international investment into the country as typified by his current engagements at the Nigeria-India Economic roundtable which has yielded a whooping $14b investment pledges.
Prince Omole also highlighted other significant success stories recorded by the administration in the last 100 Days. Specifically speaking on the financial state of the nation, he applauded the Tinubu administration for weilding the hammer on what he described as the “fuzzy forex regime”, with its harmonization policy. Citing the policy as a far cry from the business-as-usual previous alternative which the administration met on ground as one of the few examples of bold steps of an equally bold President.
“Harmonizing our fuzzy forex regime, which has been reprehensible, if not detrimental to our earnings, is another bold step worth mentioning. A few days after assuming office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the directive to harmonize the conflicting forex regime. Another hope was rekindled for the Nigerian people by this singular act.”
He also commended the Tinubu administration for its proactive responses to emerging challenges both at the local and international levels. He cited emerging military incursions in the West Africa sub-region over which he commended the President’s courage and leadership traits in rallying stakeholders towards finding both political and diplomatic solutions, urging for negotiated settlement over the overwhelming urge to meet fire with fire.
Overall, Prince Omole described the administration’s 100 Days in office as moments for laying the foundation of a just, prosperous and sustainable Nigeria.
“I have articulated in this address a fraction of President Tinubu’s unprecedented accomplishments in just 100 days in the saddle. They point to a just, prosperous and sustainable Nigeria we shall all be proud of.”
Other dignitaries who spoke at the event include Ambassador Kayode Oguntuase, Princess Atika Ajanah, Maj General Abdulmalik Jubril (Rtd), Lady Marlene Onyeocha-Okolie and Desmond Utomwen.
While Ambassador Oguntuase dwelt on the need for the administration to pay attention to improving the capacity of the police to perform well its statutory functions particularly in the face of ongoing national insecurity, Ajanah lauded the administration’s efforts in dealing with the humanitarian challenge. Utomwen on the other hand spoke on the efforts to galvanize the private sector in a bid to revive the economy as well as what the citizenry need to do in order to be part of the new emerging Nigeria.
Utomwen, one of the conveners of the group re-echoed John F Kennedy’s dictum of “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” He gave the example of Elite Solar Smart Kiosk, a solar powered, 100 percent made-in-Nigeria power product already making waves across the country.
Highlighting the multi-functional device as one that can be deployed off-grid, Utomwen explained that it is a handy tool for use in a variety of ways including healthcare, job creation, catering food vending and among others, security, particularly in areas without regular power supply.
According to him, Elite Solar Smart Kiosk is powered to empower Nigerians. He urged Nigerians not only to embrace the technology with a view to helping to solve the unemployment situation in the country but also to be creative in tackling emerging economic realities in the country.
