Shettima noted that the planning and implementation of the tax reforms were carefully designed to improve livelihoods, contrary to the claims of political detractors.
The Vice President spoke on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent held at the State House. Attendees included members of the Federal Executive Council, the Central Bank governor, special advisers, senior special assistants and heads of agencies and parastatals.
Shettima urged them all to remain champions of the government’s reforms.
He said the government is genuinely concerned about Nigerians' plight and is releasing policy instruments to lift many out of poverty without adding to their burdens.
"The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise further and pauperise the poor are far from the truth, but we have to go out and tell the truth to the people.
"We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and take our government to the Nigerian people and tell them the truth,” he said.
Shettima highlighted some of the gains of the economic reforms, including an increase in the nation’s foreign exchange reserves, streamlining of the exchange rates and the removal of a subsidy that had favoured only a few for many years.
He said President Tinubu should be commended for the courage to address the issues that past administrations avoided.
The Vice President explained that the removal of the fuel subsidy was not mentioned in the President’s 2023 inaugural speech. Still, the President had to announce it, knowing that the system was draining the economy of resources for development.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,’’ he added.
“On behalf of the President, I want to thank you all for comradeship, support and partnership,’’ he stated.
Shettima advised government officials to be more active in sharing facts about the administration's achievements and to be ready to counter falsehoods propagated by the opposition parties.
The Vice President spoke on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent held at the State House. Attendees included members of the Federal Executive Council, the Central Bank governor, special advisers, senior special assistants and heads of agencies and parastatals.
Shettima urged them all to remain champions of the government’s reforms.
He said the government is genuinely concerned about Nigerians' plight and is releasing policy instruments to lift many out of poverty without adding to their burdens.
"The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise further and pauperise the poor are far from the truth, but we have to go out and tell the truth to the people.
"We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and take our government to the Nigerian people and tell them the truth,” he said.
Shettima highlighted some of the gains of the economic reforms, including an increase in the nation’s foreign exchange reserves, streamlining of the exchange rates and the removal of a subsidy that had favoured only a few for many years.
He said President Tinubu should be commended for the courage to address the issues that past administrations avoided.
The Vice President explained that the removal of the fuel subsidy was not mentioned in the President’s 2023 inaugural speech. Still, the President had to announce it, knowing that the system was draining the economy of resources for development.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,’’ he added.
“On behalf of the President, I want to thank you all for comradeship, support and partnership,’’ he stated.
Shettima advised government officials to be more active in sharing facts about the administration's achievements and to be ready to counter falsehoods propagated by the opposition parties.
Electricity will enrich the Nigerians.
ReplyDeleteWhat have you done with the revenue from oil and gas sector?
How do Nigerians BENEFIT from their oil wealth compared to UAE❗️❓️
Steady power supply powers both big manufacturers and small scale producers.
You can only talk about Tax Reforms in a thriving economy!
Wicked rulers, putting the cart before the horse 🐎!
Can the little to nothing your Obi did with electricity be compared to what Tinubu, Shettima, or even Akpabio as terrible as he is, did with electricity during their tenures?
DeleteIf you are vibrating this much over needed reforms in the petroleum sector when for the first time in Nigerian history, fuel prices have gone down and more than 12 billion dollars of bad debt has been paid, won't you immolate with power sector reforms? Let your godfather, OBJ show his power report card.
Can you actually afford power? Have you wondered why businesses won't supply it except when in Jerry cans and generators? Has there ever been any campaign to use your Gen less except for the noise? Have you asked yourself why serious business minded people are leaving thousands of megawatt untransmitted because the laws guarantee clear loss currently?
If the government faced electricity reform in the first term, you will be howling like wolves on social media. You have not noticed that there are no fuel queues since this subsidy removal and naira exchange for the first time in Nigeria's history. You have not noticed the availability of forex since the currency was floated because you actually don't do business or any real work. Your means of income is to wail on blogs and Whatsapp groups so that those who are making something of themselves will drop something.
Electricity reforms have already steadied supply across many areas and "bands" but transmission is limited to enrich certain people and the last reforms by a myopic and uninformed Buhari will titillate people who think being poor makes them entitled but won't work for free.
Today, shell has committed 20 billion dollars while BUA, dangote, Qua Iboe and other players are being brought on board. Meter supply and distribution has been decentralized and transmission players like Sahara and heirs are shaping the next phase the way the tax system was reformed behind the scenes first. Without forex and energy deregulation, all these things won't have happened because businesses couldn't estimate properly or source forex. Today, metering companies are to refund over 20 billion naira to those who purchased their own meters and trainees in installation are being taught and equipped across the country. Gas infrastructure is being been extended North to south.
When these reforms start to take shape with implementation in the post election year, you will still nag that you are no longer being spoonfed with discounted subsidized electricity that only leads to grid collapse and having to borrow to maintain infrastructure. Is this not the same government solar equipping all teaching hospitals and far flung local communities? How many billionaires have been made from such investment?
You want everything free but cannot account for the free or subsidized education, healthcare, transportation, agriculture, foreign currency and imported products that left you jobless, infrastructure, defense, etc you have been enjoying for decades .
Didn't this same Obi invest in a bank and later in a kai kai production company to pickle the livers of the poor as a governor without electricity? Are companies like zenith, dangote, flutter wave, emzor, eleganza, doyin group, and other cottage industries across the nation not raking in trillions with mikano generators?
When you finish your blame game, you will enter Cele church or take your future more seriously. Solar is there for you to prove that production. If your fave has refused to dig wells, he can at least start up such hubs across the nation to shame the government. When he reaches Anambra, they will ask him if he didn't finish all the work there before leaving to live in Lagos
@16:46 your paid sycophancy is so glaring you had to write an epistle on nothing.
DeleteKeep on going from one social media platform "selling your soul for a morsel of bread, unrighteous mammon an the food that perisheth".
22:16, respond to the facts and let your fave show his report card. Your chronic nagging and professional pessimism is a mere puerile reaction.
DeleteYou are singing the praises of a government administration that has not improved electricity output above 6000MW and the national grid has collapsed for the umpteenth time.
DeleteWhich country in Africa with efficient electricity supply do you benchmark this your praise-singing for an underperforming government with?
A simple research will tell you that with your much touted "Electricity Reforms" Nigeria is cannot achieve a nationwide steady power supply within the next 15 years, except significant improvements happen to change the power sector reforms framework from the ownership structure to effcient infrastructures, expansion of gas supply to power plants, major investments in renewable energy and storage, seamless distribution companies’ performance, implementation of cost-reflective tariffs and State electricity markets.
Unfortunately, your brain is unable to rid itself of mediocrity and myopic political subservience. That's the reason your comments keep dovetailing to one political actor who is not the topic of this discussion.