Tinubu saved Nigeria from economic collapse – VP Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima asserted that President Bola Tinubu's economic measures averted Nigeria's descent into a more severe crisis and averted economic collapse. During a meeting with journalists in Lagos, Shettima defended the administration's policies, stating that when Tinubu took office, Nigeria's foreign reserves stood at a mere $3.9 billion, insufficient to fund fuel imports for a single month.

The Vice President attributed the removal of the fuel subsidy and the harmonization of multiple exchange rates to Tinubu's "courage and conviction," asserting that these decisions brought the economy to the brink of collapse. Shettima emphasized the gravity of the situation, comparing Nigeria's trajectory to Caracas' decline, but claimed that Tinubu's interventions averted the nation's fragmentation.

While acknowledging the hardships faced by Nigerians, Shettima maintained that the government was taking steps to alleviate the impact of the economic difficulties. The Vice President outlined forthcoming initiatives, such as the e-logistics scheme in the North-West and the distribution of electric tricycles in the North-East, designed to ease transportation and economic pressures.

Shettima highlighted Tinubu's empathy for the common man and the planned interventions aimed at easing the suffering of the populace. This meeting between the President and the Vice President was the first public interaction since Tinubu's return from his European vacation and Shettima's return from the UN General Assembly in New York.

However, opposition figures criticized the administration's economic assessment, with Atiku Abubakar accusing the Tinubu government of worsening poverty and Peter Obi citing increased hardship due to rising hunger and insecurity.