There’s poverty in the land — I won’t turn my back on Nigerians, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu says there is poverty in the land.

Speaking on Monday, in Lagos, when he received a delegation from the national assembly, Tinubu urged Nigerians to face the current challenges.

The delegation, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, included Jibrin Barau, deputy president of the senate, and Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, among others.

The president said he understands the challenges and the task ahead, assuring the citizens of his commitment to making positive changes.

“Yes, there is poverty; there is suffering in the land. We are not the only people facing such, but we must face our challenges,” Tinubu said.

“We must find a way to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers can bring out food from the farmland.

“If you do not have good roads to bring the food to the population, even if you grow the food and you are losing 60-70 per cent to damages, you will pay the price.

“Good economics at a harsh time is the challenge that we must face.

“As I said in my speech, no matter how difficult it is and how challenging it can be, I will not turn my back on Nigeria.”

Tinubu urged citizens to adopt a new mindset about Nigeria to help the nation overcome its current challenges.

The president said vandalising rail tracks and stealing electric cables are acts of economic sabotage, stressing that these actions must cease for the nation to progress.

“The need (for some citizens) to change the rent-seeking mindset and become more productive to the economy is a challenge. The need to stop smuggling and all economic sabotage,” Tinubu said.

“Why should we have people removing rail tracks and all that, stealing electric cables and sabotaging the economy?

“We must embrace the campaign to change our value system. We must tell our people that the challenge we face is for all of us to change our mindset about our country.”

The president commended the leadership of the national assembly for their support, which he said has contributed to significant achievements by his administration.

“It is daunting, but we cannot run away from the fact that this country must survive the hardship,” Tinubu said.