…holds closed door meeting with Emefiele, Kyari
NOSA EGHAGHA
The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, Sen. Kashim Shettima, have made true their promise to hit the ground running when the duo resumed work at the Presidential Villa.
President Tinubu arrived the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja at exactly 2:30 pm, a day after he was Sworn-in as the 16th President of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He was received by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in the company of State House Permanent Secretary, Mallam Tijjani Idris Umar, and other staff of the State House.
Others who received President Tinubu were Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; House Member James Faleke; Wale Edun; Dele Alake as well as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, who arrived earlier to wait for the President.
Tinubu was escorted into his office, where he later held closed doors meeting with Emefiele and Kyari in an apparent effort to address the fallout of fuel subsidy removal and other burning national issues.
The meeting was his first official assignment in the Presidential Villa, starting with the critical sectors, following the return of fuel queues, as marketers react to the fuel subsidy removal.
Tinubu had at his inauguration speech on Monday, announced the removal of fuel subsidy and his resolve to reduce high interest rates, which he described as dis-incentives to attract investments.
The announcements have led to the return of fuel queues across the country, despite assurances by the NNPCL of sufficient supply of the commodity.
Speaking to State House Correspondents in his office, Sen. Shettima assured that President Tinubu-led administration will catapult Nigeria to a higher pedestal.
“I believe this generation has a rendezvous with destiny and my principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is poised to redefine the meaning and concept of modern governance.
“I want to assure Nigerians that he is going to provide the lead. He is going to provide the leadership and we will rally round him, give him our unequivocally support and loyalty to see to the realization of the Nigerian dream—a Nigeria where every black man in the world should be proud of.
“Power to me is a humbling experience. It’s all about how we can make life better for the common man. So, I want to assure our countrymen that President Bola Tinubu will, by the grace of God, catapult this nation to a higher pedestal. He is determined; he has the skills set; he has the temperament; the disposition, and the purity of mind and commitment to give service to this nation.” Said Shettima
Speaking further, he reassured that the President will frontally address the twin issue of fuel subsidy and multiple exchange rates currently faced in the country.
“The president has already made pronouncements yesterday on the issue of the fuel subsidy. The truth of the matter is that it is either we get rid of subsidy or the fuel subsidy gets rid of the Nigerian nation.
“In 2022, we spent $10billion subsidizing the ostentatious lifestyle of the upper class of the society because you and I benefit 90 per cent from the oil subsidy.
“The poor 40 per cent of Nigerians benefit very little. And we know the consequences of unveiling a masquerade. We will get fierce opposition from those benefitting from the oil subsidy scam. But where there is a will, there is a way.
“Be rest assured that our president is a man of strong will and conviction. In the fullness of time, you will appreciate his noble intentions for the nation.
“The issue of fuel subsidy will be frontally addressed. The earlier we do so, the better.
“On the issue of multiple exchange rates, we are going to collapse it into one. So these are two big elephants in the room and as the days go by we will be unveiling our agenda.
“He is going to unveil his agenda because, as I have always said, there can never be two captains in a ship. He is the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. I’m the vice president. My relevance is directly proportional to the level of my loyalty to the president.
“This is a gentleman that I have known for well over a decade; that I have interacted closely with. Be rest assured that we are going to work harmoniously as a team, as a family, for the greater good of our nation,” he said.
