The former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Mathew Kolawole, has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu, stating that he inherited a deeply flawed economic system and will need more time to correct the past mistakes.
In an interview with journalists in Lokoja, Kolawole assessed the current administration, highlighting the significant challenges Tinubu is working to resolve.
“In actual sense, President Tinubu needs more time to settle down fully because of the rot in the system from where we as a nation are coming from. It will take a while for us as a nation to come out of our challenges. The ongoing reforms may be biting hard, but it is a process to take us to our dreamland,” he explained.
Kolawole further acknowledged the hardships faced by citizens due to ongoing reforms but assured that they are necessary for long-term development.
“We have been going through economic reforms, though it has been very harsh on the citizens, but the truth is that every man who has contested for one position or the other has his policy to implement. The roadmap of President Tinubu, I can assure, will take us out of the woods,” he added.
He enumerated the positive strides made by the Tinubu administration, particularly in areas of visible development, despite widespread criticism.
“So far, so good, because we can see some development in some areas. I think the only complaint Nigerians are having today is in the areas of petroleum and electricity. I believe very strongly that Nigerians will also enjoy very soon considering so many laudable policies that the present administration has brought.”
Kolawole also defended former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who is currently facing scrutiny from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He condemned the situation, pointing out that Bello had sacrificed much for the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially during the 2023 general election.
“Frankly speaking, what is happening to former Governor Yahaya Bello today is very unfortunate. This man has sacrificed so much for APC, especially during the 2023 elections. For me, there is nothing wrong with anybody aspiring for any position,” Kolawole said.
He praised Bello’s loyalty to the APC, particularly after the presidential primaries, when he threw his support behind Tinubu.
“It is a fact that immediately after he lost the Presidential primary election, he supported the candidate of APC which is our leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Former Governor Yahaya Bello… mobilised Nigerian Youths to vote for APC in his State Kogi, he delivered 100% to the ruling party APC. He has done a lot for the party,” Kolawole stressed.
He expressed his belief that the persecution of Bello is being orchestrated by those threatened by his rising political influence, adding, “Power belongs to Almighty God. I don’t know why some people always try to bring down a growing politician for no reason.”
