President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has blamed opposition politicians and past administrations for Nigeria’s hunger and poverty, insisting that his government is working to fix years of economic mismanagement.
Speaking on Saturday at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna, Tinubu urged Nigerians to renew his mandate in the January 2027 election.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. But who created these problems? They created them, and we are working to eradicate them,” he said.
He claimed his administration had laid the foundation for prosperity, growth and opportunities, particularly for young Nigerians.
“We have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunities for our people,” Tinubu said.
He thanked Kaduna residents for supporting him in 2023 and urged them to vote for him and other APC candidates again.
“Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands. Your fingerprints on the ballot will determine it. Be careful and watch out for those who want to mislead you,” he said.
Tinubu defended fuel subsidy removal as necessary to fight corruption, invoice falsification, dishonesty and smuggling.
“What is past is past. Fuel subsidy is behind us. We are working towards ending corruption, falsification of invoices, dishonesty and the smuggling of goods,” he said.
He also promised continued support for youth welfare and praised APC governors for development and regular salary payments.
Earlier, Governor Uba Sani urged support for Tinubu, citing federal projects. He said N178 billion had been released for the abandoned 123-kilometre Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road.
“Today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari without a police escort. That is progress, Mr President, and we thank you for it,” he said.
Sani added that over 300 schools and 150 primary healthcare centres had reopened after insecurity forced their closure. He also announced approval for the proposed Kaduna metropolitan red-line rail project and said N84 billion in NELFUND loans had benefited about 414,000 North-West students.
He urged voters to support Tinubu and APC candidates in 2027.
