Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said Nigeria’s economy is about to float without petroleum income due to economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpabio said this while speaking on Friday at the signing of 2024 budget in Abuja.
According to the senate President; Tinubu’s reforms are yielding positive results despite initial challenges.
He said, “By the time you removed the fuel subsidy, which many had failed in over 40 years, I came back to you and asked Mr President, don’t you want re-election in 2027? You asked why. I said, how can you do this?”
“Let’s remove it gradually. You said I met a fuel subsidy that was no longer available. The last administration made a budget and ended fuel subsidy in May.”
“So from June, when you took over you re-echoed that subsidy is gone, you didn’t elaborate otherwise you would have said I am taking over Nigeria… when you said it, many didn’t understand. So you started, meandered, and today Nigeria is about to float even without petroleum products coming in as income.”
Akpabio commended Tinubu for presenting the “largest budget in Nigeria’s history”, adding that the national assembly scrutinised the appropriation bill before its passage.
He said, “Your reforms are working. When you came to the national assembly with a very ambitious budget of N49.7 trillion, little did we know that by working with your team, we would discover other sources of bringing revenue in today.”
“We are about to make history by signing the largest budget in Nigeria since independence, N54.7 trillion, so I say congratulations, sir.”
“We on this side of the aisle believe strongly that anything that can alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians, any policy that you propose that can alleviate the suffering of Nigerians, be rest assured that the national assembly – both chambers — will go with you. We are behind you because we know that you mean well for this country.”
“You gave the budget to us in December; people may think we delayed it, but we went through it line by line, clause by clause to ensure we meet the aspiration not just of your administration but that of the entire nation.”
Recall that President Tinubu signed the N54.7 trillion budget into law on Friday, marking a 99.96 per cent increase from the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion.
