Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has asserted that President Bola Tinubu is not to blame for Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
Speaking on Wednesday during The Platform, a national conversation event organized by Poju Oyemade, senior pastor of the Covenant Christian Centre, to mark the 2024 Democracy Day, Soludo emphasized that the nation’s economic woes are the result of accumulated poor actions and inactions of successive administrations since 1999.
“President Tinubu did not cause the problem,” Soludo stated. “It took more than 10 years of living in denial and kicking the can down the road to get to this predictable sorry state. We are now suffering the consequences of what I call delayed and misguided adjustments from a macroeconomic standpoint of the economy.”
Soludo highlighted that Tinubu has the historic duty to mobilize Nigerians to address the mess created over the years for the benefit of future generations.
He pointed out that Nigeria is currently in a fiscal quagmire with technical solvency problems due to a high level of accumulated debt. This debt level leaves little room for additional borrowing, especially at high costs, while the needs of citizens continue to increase rapidly.
The governor cautioned against printing more money, warning that such actions would lead to spiraling inflation. He called on Nigerians to support President Tinubu’s efforts to transform the country positively. Soludo’s remarks underscore the importance of collective efforts and support for the current administration in tackling Nigeria’s longstanding economic challenges.
In addition, Soludo expressed support for the proposed single term of six years for elected officeholders, suggesting that this could provide a stable period for enacting significant changes. He also commented on local government autonomy, stating that it contradicts the principles of true federalism.
“Sometimes, these conversations about a single term might begin to make some sense so that you fix it, whether you say four years or five years, six years or seven years, single term,” Soludo said.
