President Bola Tinubu has defended his decision to remove fuel subsidy, saying he has no regrets and Nigeria cannot return to “Egypt.”
Speaking at a City Boy Movement event at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, Tinubu thanked young supporters for standing by his administration and praised his son, Seyi, the group’s patron, for organising youths ahead of the 2027 election.
Tinubu said his government inherited unpaid bills, dwindling foreign reserves and a country printing money without control. He said the administration had rebuilt the tax system and insisted Nigeria could not borrow its way to greatness.
He also promised to end endless university strikes and said more than one million students had received support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The president urged youths to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and vote, saying the election was about their future and the Renewed Hope agenda.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the economy could have collapsed without Tinubu’s reforms. He cited 4.43 per cent economic growth in the last quarter and foreign reserves of about $60 billion.
Shettima acknowledged Nigerians’ hardship but promised that Tinubu would announce measures to tackle agricultural challenges and bring food prices down in the coming weeks.
City Boy Movement Director-General Francis Shoga said Nigerian youths were ready to work, serve and promote national unity. He pledged the group’s support for the government’s Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to involve young Nigerians in national development.
