Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing the current economic hardship across Nigeria as the consequence of years of poor policy decisions rather than the result of the administration’s reforms alone.
Speaking on Tuesday while receiving the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during her visit to Abia to celebrate the state’s renowned Akwete weaving heritage, Otti commended President Tinubu for what he described as the courage to implement difficult but necessary economic reforms.
The governor urged the First Lady to convey his appreciation to the president, praising him for removing the petrol subsidy and allowing the naira to float shortly after assuming office in 2023.
According to Otti, the two policies have significantly increased financial resources available to the federal, state and local governments, enabling many subnational administrations to meet salary obligations, invest in infrastructure and support productive economic activities.
“What has that done? That has freed up a lot of funds that would have been used in financing consumption to doing other things in the federal government, in the states, and in the local governments,” he said.
He noted that many states that previously struggled to pay workers now have greater fiscal capacity, while others have expanded investments in development projects and programmes aimed at empowering citizens.
The governor acknowledged that the reforms have imposed short-term hardship on Nigerians but maintained that such consequences were inevitable for policies intended to stabilise the economy in the long run.
“Every courageous decision has its own consequences,” Otti said, adding that the economy would gradually adjust as the reforms take effect.
He argued that much of the hardship being experienced today is rooted in years of unsustainable economic practices rather than the reforms themselves.
Otti also reaffirmed that Abia State remains open to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity or political affiliation, stressing that good governance should always rise above partisan considerations.