Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has urged Nigerians to show understanding and appreciate the efforts of the present administration to fix the economy.

The Vice-President made the declaration on Saturday in Lagos after a visit to President Bola Tinubu, who returned to the country on Thursday after his annual vacation in Europe.

Speaking with State House correspondents, Senator Shettima, who admitted that Nigerians are passing through trying economic hardship, maintained that the tough reforms were necessary to put the economy on the path of growth.

He said, “It is absolutely essential that Nigerians need to be absolutely generous to this one man.

“When we assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign reserves were staggering below $1.1 billion. That was not enough to import fuel for one month. But he had the courage and the conviction to take far-reaching decisions.

“The withdrawal of the fuel subsidy and the realignment of the multiple exchange rates were far-reaching decisions. The economy was literally dithering on the verge of collapse. He saved the economy. I want Nigerians to understand that we were on the road to Caracas. He saved our economy; he saved the nation from falling into pieces.

“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through. But tough times don’t last forever; tough people do. The government is rolling out programmes and projects to assuage the pains of our people.”

Shettima also dismissed insinuations that governance suffered while Tinubu was outside the country on his “working vacation”, telling newsmen that advances in technology had made governance easier.

“We are quite thrilled that he is back on the beat, and we have been in regular contact throughout his sojourn abroad.

“Advancement in science and technology has made it possible to have impactful leadership wherever one might find himself.

“So, we have been in regular contact. We speak every other day, update him on developments in the nation, and we are happy that he is back on the beat, as usual, for impactful decision-making that will touch the lives of the Nigerian people.” (Sunday Tribune)

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