President Bola Tinubu on Monday told Nigerians that the time might be rough and tough, but assured that the tough times will not last.
The president, in his 2024 New Year broadcast said Nigerians were made for this period, never to flinch or falter.
In his words: “Dear Compatriots, take this from me: the time may be rough and tough, however, our spirit must remain unbowed because tough times never last. We are made for this period, never to flinch, never to falter.
“The socio-economic challenges of today should energize and rekindle our love and faith in the promise of Nigeria. Our current circumstances should make us resolve to work better for the good of our beloved nation. Our situation should make us resolve that this New Year 2024, each and every one of us will commit to be better citizens.”
Tinubu stated that his government, silently, had worked to free captives from abductors, saying that while “while we can’t beat our chest yet that we had solved all the security problems, we are working hard to ensure that we all have peace of mind in our homes, places of work and on the roads.”
According to the president, having laid the groundwork of economic recovery plans within the last seven months of 2023, his administration was now poised to accelerate the pace of service delivery across sectors.
Tinubu said in December during COP28 in Dubai, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and him agreed and committed to a new deal to speed up the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project that would ultimately deliver a reliable supply of electricity to homes and businesses under the Presidential Power Initiative which began in 2018.
He added that other power installation projects to strengthen the reliability of the nation’s transmission lines and optimise the integrity of the National grid were ongoing across the country.
Tinubu said his administration recognised that no meaningful economic transformation could happen without a steady electricity supply, stressing that in 2024, his government is moving a step further in its quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream.
The president stated that to ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, his administration would step up its plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops.
“We launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme,” he said.