By Deborah Nnamdi
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu as he grapples to fix the nation’s economy and touch the lives of Nigerians across the ethnic divide noting that Nigeria was on life support before Tinubu was elected the president in 2023, adding that despite the ugly situation, the president was determined to fix the battered economy.
Akpabio spoke at Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State during his Constituency Briefing/ Empowerment on Monday.
“President Tinubu met a very bad condition on the ground; nobody envied him; he said he was determined to change the situation, let us encourage him to change the situation. We believe that at the end of the day, we will move the country forward. He did it in Lagos before, and he will do it again in Nigeria; just give him time, and he will take us to our El Dorado.
“I want us to know that Nigeria was on life support when the people voted Tinubu to become the president. One day I asked him, Mr President, after becoming the president and seeing the level of the economy that Emefiele left behind, are you excited? He said, well, I’m determined to change the situation,” Akpabio stated.
The Senate president also noted that the president has touched many lives through continuous constituency projects across the country, adding that the regional commissions set up across the country aimed at the development of the regions and empowerment of the people.
“The president has shown the South East love; he has signed the South East Development Commission into an act of parliament; in addition, key ministries have been allocated, not based on votes but based on the needs.
“The South East has a lot of ecological problems, the South East has very poor roads, just like the South-South, and Mr president decided to give us the Ministry of Works in addition to other key Ministries, even the petroleum and gas Ministry.
“Akwa Ibom is sitting on gas, all the way from Utapete down to Ibeno. Above all, the president allowed our State to produce the No. 3 Citizen, the Senate President; the last time we had such an opportunity was in 1979. President Tinubu deserves all our support.”
While distributing items such as bags of rice, fleets of cars, generating sets, deep freezers, tractors, Tricycle vans, Tricycles and Mini-buses, Motorcycles, sewing machines, Make-up kits, Two Hundred Thousand Naira cash transfers to 2000 undergraduates among others, Akpabio said the gesture was supported by the president to thank the people for their votes and supports.
“I want to appreciate the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, without peace, there will not be development, the governor has decided to embrace all Akwa Ibom people irrespective of political lines even during Christmas, the governor sent 1000 bags of rice to APC in the state and because of that, I request that the PDP chairman should come forward and take 1500 bags of rice for his members,” he added.
