Vice President Kashim Shettima has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership sacrifices, stating that history will remember him as the leader who took on the nation’s most complex challenges.
Shettima spoke Saturday night at the special Iftar arranged to mark the 73rd birthday of President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“Thanks to his boldness, future presidents of Nigeria will not have to wrestle with the same ghosts that haunted past administrations, including fraud-ridden fuel subsidies, an unstable forex market, and the suppression of local government autonomy.
“These were the thorny issues that many before him sidestepped. But Asiwaju did not sidestep history; he came to rewrite it.
“And in rewriting it, Asiwaju has taken the bullets that many before him simply lacked the courage to face. But that is the thing about true leadership: it is not for those who seek comfort. It is for those who understand that the path to national greatness is lined with difficult choices,” he said.
At the same forum, President Tinubu explained why he gutted the petrol subsidy on his first day in office.
“On the day of my inauguration, I had to decide on something not originally in my speech, and that was the fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
He said Nigeria had reached a point of no return on the issue.
“The hallmark of a great leader is the ability to make the right decision at the right time. That was the day I declared that the subsidy was gone. The following day, I was hounded and thoroughly abused in the media. But I stood firm, knowing it was the right thing to do for our nation’s future,” he said.
He noted that he assumed office during a time of economic uncertainty and had to make immediate, difficult decisions, including floating the Naira.
