Nigeria: I Won’t Give Excuses, Nigeria Has No Business With Poverty – Tinubu

Mr Tinubu also pledged to reconstruct Eleme axis of the East-West road in Rivers State.

President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria has no business with poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment because of its enormous human capacity and natural resources.

He assured that under his leadership, the narrative will be positively and permanently changed because he is not a president that would give excuses.

Mr Tinubu stated this while receiving a delegation from Rivers State, south-south Nigeria, at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.

The 62-member delegation led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, comprised leaders of the two major parties in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Former Rivers governor and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Onueze Okocha, were also part of the delegation.

“We are not meant to be in a position to be poor. We will turn the tide! Somewhere, somehow in this storm, there’s a quiet and peaceful place for us. We will locate it!

“We are not lazy people. We are richly endowed. We just need to be our brother’s keeper, and good neighbours to one another.

“I am not a president that will give excuses. I will work hard for our nation with purpose, determination and dedication to create wealth for all Nigerians. We have no reason to be poor! We will not look back, we will run aggressively forward.

“Today, we may be swimming against the tide. But the waves will soon propel us forward from behind. We will achieve the goals and dreams of our forefathers. I am inspired by the nation of people I now lead,” the president said.

Mr Tinubu said he had heard the cries of prominent indigenes of the state on infrastructure development in Rivers State with particular reference to the Eleme Junction-Onne axis of the East-West Road, linking the Port Harcourt Refinery.

The president said Mr Wike is his adviser and that he would follow up on the issue for prompt action.

“The Honourable Minister, Wike, is not just the Minister of FCT, he is also my adviser and an admirer of mine. He has hit the ground running and he should be encouraged by the state,” he stated.

He said the former governor had left big shoes to fill for the new governor and that as one of his most trusted allies, Rivers State would always have direct access to him in their joint march toward sustainable development.

Advising the younger generation to be more patient with the processes of government, Mr Tinubu said, “I am the captain and chief salesman of the country. We have to reverse the trend and achieve possibilities within a short period of time. Our people have high expectations for us. I pledge to work hard, and I pray to God to put me on the right path, not to disappoint Nigerians.”

Earlier in his remarks, Mr Fubara told the president that the delegation, which included leaders of political parties, and past and present members of the state and national assemblies across parties, was on a solidarity and thank you visit.

“The people of Rivers State voted for you in the last general elections based on their belief in fairness, equity and justice. This is the first time that Rivers State is truly feeling the impact of the federal government since the inception of democracy in 1999,” he said.

The governor noted that the delegation greatly appreciated the president for appointing capable sons and daughters of the state into highly strategic positions within his administration.

He particularly thanked the president for the appointments of Mr Wike as FCT minister and Ajuri Ngelale as his special adviser on media and publicity. He also thanked him for appointing other sons and daughters of Rivers State into the boards and management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other institutions.

Mr Fubara applauded the president for attracting $14 billion dollars investment approval for projects nationwide during the G-20 Summit, including the expansion of Indorama Petrochemicals in Eleme, Rivers State, adding that the state had just allocated 209 hectares of land in support of the new investment.