At the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023, which was organized by the Leadership Group, publishers of Leadership Newspapers, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, spoke about Nigeria’s acceptance of grains from Ukraine. The Minister emphasized that accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria a weak or failed state. He cited Egypt as an example, stating that Egypt gets about 60% of its grains from Ukraine, but this does not make it a failed state.
Idris acknowledged that Nigeria is currently facing some challenges, but he emphasized that this does not make Nigeria a failed state. President Bola Tinubu is aware of these challenges, and he is not shying away from them. Nigerians voted for Tinubu with the understanding that he can turn things around for the better, and that is what he is doing.
The Minister explained that some of the decisions made by the President were to ensure that Nigeria finds its place in the comity of nations. These decisions include the removal of fuel subsidies and addressing the issue of foreign exchange, among others. Idris stressed that fuel subsidy removal was a bold step in the right direction, and he urged Nigerians to support the President as the country would soon begin to reap the benefits.
Idris noted that Nigeria’s current national challenges did not begin upon President Tinubu’s assumption of office. He emphasized that, going by figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s fuel importation reduced by 50% after fuel subsidy removal, just as the economy improved significantly. He noted that President Tinubu had demonstrated capacity and had attracted more than 30 billion dollars in foreign investments into the country since his assumption of office.
The Minister also mentioned that President Tinubu had recently gone to Qatar to attract more businesses and investments into Nigeria. Idris expressed optimism that Nigeria would soon overcome its current challenges and become better. He noted that the theme of the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023 is “An Economy In Distress: The Way Forward.”
