Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold approach to resetting Nigeria’s economy through various reforms and policies is aimed at improving the lives of citizens.
Dr. Alake stated this at a one-day lecture organized by the Arewa Think Tank, ATT, in Kaduna, with the themed “Agricultural Perspective of Nigeria in the Last 64 Years of Independence.”
Alake highlighted Tinubu’s track record of implementing transformative policies, recalling his tenure as Lagos State Governor in 1999.
“When Bola Tinubu became governor, he introduced a biometric register for civil servants, which faced significant opposition because it blocked loopholes that some individuals were exploiting” the Minister added.
Alake said the current pains arising from the policies of the Tinubu administration entailed sacrifices to secure the future of generations unborn, adding that citizens of the countries where Nigerians are emigrating to today made similar sacrifices.
“Today, he is applying the same strategy at the national level—blocking financial leakages and plugging loopholes. Naturally, those who have benefited from these loopholes will resist” Alake stated.
The minister reiterated that the policies of the Tinubu administration seeks to transfer power to the people by liberating their energy for wealth creation and plugging the loopholes that stalled the nation’s development.
The Minister therefore urged the elite to throw their weight behind the programmes and policies of President Bola Tinubu to ensure the recovery of the economy.
“He has taken the battle to the profiteers of the subsidy regime in the downstream petroleum sector, cabals who took advantage of the cheap fuel meant for the masses to become rich by smuggling them across the border”
“Now that the margin has become unprofitable, he has taken the elephant from the room. you can bet that the next challenge of bringing down the cost has already started with the resumption of petroleum production at the port harcourt refinery. it is a testimony to his doggedness to put smiles on the faces of the masses at all cost, he said.
The Minister who was presented an award as the Most Impactful Minister of the current administration by the Arewa Think-Tank, said the impact recorded was made possible by the collaborative style put in place by the President.
He cited the establishment of the Mining Marshals through the joint efforts of the ministries of Interior and Defence and the success of marketing the mining sector abroad through the support of ministries of foreign affairs, trade and investment as evidence of Tinubu’s style of governance in action.
According to Alake, singling a minister out as the most impactful may not tell the full story as the success of each minister is the result of the collaboration of many ministries.
On his part, the Kaduna state Governor, Senator Uba Sani acknowledged that the implementation of the president’s bold policies have not been without challenges and pains for Nigerians but clarified that the pains are temporary.
In his opening remarks, chairman of the occasion, Retired General Martin Luther Agwai urged the government to prioritise agriculture in view of the threats posed by climate change and insecurity.
