A Third Republic Senator, Emmanuel Chidozie Nwaka, on Thursday led a delegation of members of the Third Republic National Assembly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Aso Villa, Abuja.
The delegates who were President Tinubu’s colleagues during the botched Third Republic of 1993, were at the Villa to show solidarity to one of their former colleagues.
Expressing happiness at seeing some of his former colleagues, President Bola Tinubu articulated the rationale behind his administration’s economic reforms. He noted that the primary motive was to protect the interests of future generations of Nigerians.
He said, “For 50 years, Nigeria was spending money of generations yet unborn and servicing the West coast of our subregion with fuel. It was getting difficult to plan for our children’s future.”
Addressing the delegates, President Tinubu highlighted the challenges faced at the beginning of his administration, especially economic and social issues. This is as he expressed his gratitude for the delegation’s support in addressing these difficulties.
He said, “We faced serious headwinds when I took over, very challenging times. Nigeria would have been bankrupt if we had not taken the actions that we took. And we had to prevent the economy’s collapse.
The President, however, declared that his administration had been able to stem the tide. He, therefore, expressed appreciation to Nigerians for their collective support in turning things around.
He said, “Today, we are sitting pretty on a good foundation. We have reversed the problem; the Exchange rate is stabilising. Food prices are coming down, especially during Ramadan. We will have light at the end of the tunnel.”
The President noted that firm adherence to democratic tenets is the best route to economic, social, and political development.
“I am happy that you are holding to your belief in democracy. I thank you for keeping faith and remembering how we started. Some people missed the ball.
“Some leadership failed, but we kept the faith with our democratic beliefs and freedom. And the right to aspire to the highest office in the land. I am benefitting from it.”
Senator Nwaka, who spoke on behalf of the group, expressed delight at some of the programmes that the the President had implemented. Especially the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP).
Nwaka praised the two initiatives for their impact on the lives of Nigerians.
He said, “I appreciate you for what you are giving to students because the student population is the largest demographic in the country. I’ve spoken with many of them, and many have benefited from it.
“And the next one is the CREDICORP. That’s a major way of fighting corruption. You see a young man, you come out of school, you want to buy a car, you have to put down cash. You want to buy a house, and you are not married. But with the CREDICORP, you can get things done. I’m following their activities; we are delighted.”
Those in the delegation were Sen. Bako Aufara Musa, Hon. Terwase Orbunde, Hon. Wasiu Logun, Hon. Amina Aliyu, High Chief Obi Anoliefo and Hon. Eze Nwauwa.