Hardship: Govs assure Nigerians Tinubu reforms will yield positive results

… to support Afreximbank financed world class hospital in Nigeria

By Tunde Opalana

Nigerians governors have assured Nigerians that the current hardship will soon subside as reformation policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration will start yielding positive results.

While sympathizing with the citizenry for enduring hardship , the state executives applauded President Tinubu’s reformation policies and expressed hope that the end result will bring succour.

Rising from the 10th meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum in Abuja early Friday morning, the governors said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited assured the country that sufferings occasioned by the removal.of subsidy on petroleum products will soon be forgotten.

Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma who read the communique issued at the end of the meeting around 4:00am said the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari briefed the meeting.

According to him, Kyari briefed on the total subsidy removal, the challenges facing the corporation, and his plans to alleviate the sufferings of the people, occasioned by the increase in pump prices.

“We saw with him, and also interpreted some of the presentations he made. It is our hope that things are going to be better any moment from now.

“What are some of the specifics that the NNPC GMD said regarding subsidy removal? Because as we speak we still have the queues despite the fact that the prices are high.

“Yeah, it is something that is being looked at. If you look at the news, you see that the Dangote Refinery has come up with also capacity to supply products.

“I don’t think that you or me would be happy as a Nigerian, an OPEC member, producing crude oil, relying on importation for our people to use our petroleum products.

“So we must encourage the homegrown solution that the President just introduced. Encouraging Dangote Refinery, we should repair our Port Harcourt Refinery, repair our Warri Refinery, repair our Kaduna Refinery, and then produce what we eat, and eat what we produce.

“We shouldn’t rely on importation of crude oil. For me, it is an aberration abinitio to rely on importation of petroleum products as an oil producing country.

“Which other member of OPEC country of our status is now refining crude oil in that country? So we shouldn’t encourage that. I think I want to support buying petroleum products in Naira, buying crude oil in Naira, refining it here.

“If you refine petroleum products locally, you will cure jobs, you will cure unemployment, you will keep people busy, you will reduce crime, and then you will also be proud to answer an oil producing nation.

“We sympathize with our people. We know that there is hardship in the country. We also appreciate the reforms being carried out by the President.

“Our prayer is that, as soon as possible, that the relief we are looking for should come. So that we can begin to leverage on the benefits of the reforms. And then have a betterment general.

“I think things are getting better by the day and we pray that with all these arrangements in place, the cost of living will come down. The cost of doing businesses in Nigeria will also come down and become more affordable.

“So Nigerian Governors Forum, we are also committed to supporting Mr. President and ensure that the interests of our people are properly protected.”

On issues of security, the governors were briefed by both the Director General of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the National Security Advisor.

The Imo state governor said “the new Director General of the Department of Security Services, also briefed us on new strategies to stop the rate of insecurity, all the security challenges in the country. And how to fight cases of kidnapping, banditry, and activities of unknown gunmen.

“And we also committed to giving him support and to close rank. It will be very proper and a better synergy, working at the subnational to ensure that Nigeria is secure, the environment is safe.

“But not only the government, but also the private sector to do their businesses. We will collaborate with him.

“The Office of the National Security Advisor appointed a director to liaise with the state governments for closer relationships.

“She also appeared before us. Spoke very eloquently. Presented her plans. And we committed to also working with her.

“It is our belief that Nigeria is a great country. And anything that will bring or cause disunity among our people, our citizens, should be discouraged.

“We need to be united as a people. We need to support the government. We need to work for the interests of our people.And our national interests also protected.”

Calling on Nigerians to have hope under the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President, supported by both the national government and the citizens, he said “there will be no better security than us being united, working together as a people, and believing in our country.”

He also said that Governor of the 36 states of the federation are committed to supporting the Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) in financing the building of a world class specialized hospital in the country.

The decision was taken after a presentation by the African Medical Center of Excellence (AMCE)

Uzodinma said the medical facilities to be financed by Afreximbank is a world-class hospital that will leverage on specialized techniques.

According to him, the AMCE assured the governors that the hospital will be delivered with the latest and modern equipment to be managed by first-class medical experts in special areas of treatment on oncology, cardiovascular issues, hematological cares, and other comprehensive general medical research.

“So, and the governors committed to supporting Afreximbank for this initiative.

“They are going to work with King’s College Hospital London, and it’s going to be a referral center of excellence for all medical challenges,” said Uzodinma.

Former Vice President, Nnamadi Sambo led the Afreximbank team that want to build the hospital.