Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has expressed confidence that Nigeria will emerge as a stronger economy comparable to the United States and England when President Bola Tinubu completes his ongoing economic reforms.
Okpebholo made the declaration in a video that has gained attention on social media, where he defended Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, insisting that the policy and other reforms would eventually put the country on a path to economic recovery.
The governor praised Tinubu for taking what he described as a courageous decision, arguing that successive administrations had avoided removing the subsidy because of the political consequences.
“Mr President is a man of courage. For many years, Nigeria has been battling to remove fuel subsidy, and no president, right from Obasanjo to our own Goodluck, could remove fuel subsidy. Nobody dared to say it because the removal of fuel subsidy could even remove a president from office.
“But within a twinkle of an eye, in a few minutes, in a few seconds, this president summoned courage and said it was better for him to deliver this country and reform its economy. He removed that fuel subsidy. That is why you have seen the boost in Nigeria’s economy today.
“The reforms of Mr President are succeeding. Let the common man be the one to enjoy this money. So already, there are so many holes that have been created.
“Those holes are what he is filling now. By the time he cements all those holes, Nigeria will bounce back. Nigeria will be strong like America. Nigeria will be as strong like England. Our economy will be very strong. The only man who had the courage to do it is the president.
Okpebholo also pointed to the increase in federal allocations to states as evidence of changes under Tinubu’s administration.
He recalled a conversation with former Edo State governor and current senator Adams Oshiomhole, using the discussion to highlight the difference between allocations received during Oshiomhole’s tenure and the amounts he believes are available to states today.
“I was talking to Adams Oshiomhole. I asked him, ‘When you were governor, how much were you getting?’ He said three billion naira. But today, I thought he was getting close to 20 billion naira.
The governor further cited infrastructure development in Benin City as another sign of progress, particularly the construction of flyovers and efforts to give the Edo State capital a more modern appearance.
“Before now, when you got to Benin, which we call the ancient city, it looked different. With the introduction of our new flyovers in Benin, the city is now looking like a modern city.
Beyond defending the president’s economic policies, Okpebholo also urged his supporters to mobilise for Tinubu’s re-election, recalling his pledge to deliver 2.5 million votes for the president.
“On the 16th of January, we will go to the polls again to elect our president and vote for our president.”
He subsequently reminded his supporters of the vote target and asked whether they were prepared to fulfil the promise.
“This time, how many of you know my promise of 2.5 million votes? Are you aware of my promise of 2.5 million votes? Are you aware of the 2.5 million votes? Are we going to get them? Are we going to get them?”
