President Bola Tinubu says he fully understands what Nigerians are going through but that the present economic reform is necessary to build a resilient country.
Tinubu said this during a meeting with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Tinubu highlighted the importance of citizens and leaders investing in the nation to build a strong society.
He emphasised that poverty affects everyone regardless of religion and called for collective efforts to fight it.
The president stressed that the tax reform presented a good investment opportunity for citizens to build their nation.
Tinubu said: “Yes, removing the fuel subsidy was hard, tough for me, but it’s a hard choice that Nigeria must face. We are not going to bankrupt our country.
“We were spending the investment of the future of our children yet unborn; We were spending their rights, and poverty has no religious basis. There’s no religious colouration, no identity. It affects all, and we must fight it together.”
On the request to return mission schools that governments have taken over, President Tinubu said schools are subnational entities, not owned by the Federal Government.
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“I’ve been a good example as the governor of Lagos state. I returned all the mission schools,” he added.
Tinubu commended the Catholic body’s commitment to education and healthcare.
He added that he set up NELFUND to ensure that no student dropped out of school due to a lack of funds for tuition fees. He promised to look at ways to help students of private institutions that NELFUND does not cover.
Tinubu noted that the security agencies were already curtailing the nation’s insecurity, stressing that adherents of all religions felt the impact of the efforts.
The President thanked religious leaders for their prayers, as the country is already witnessing a better deal and a newfound optimism.
Most Reverend Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the Archbishop of Owerri and the CBCN President, who led the delegation of 20 Bishops from across the country, said they were at the State House to congratulate President Tinubu on his victory, having not had the opportunity last year, and to commend him for his efforts to reposition the country and share some concerns.
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