Vice-President Kashim Shettima has appealed to Nigerians to show understanding and be “generous” toward President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, asserting that the president took painful but necessary policy decisions to rescue the nation’s economy from total collapse.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, October 3, 2026, in Lagos following a high-level briefing, Vice-President Shettima defended the administration’s sweeping structural reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira.
Shettima disclosed that when the administration took office, Nigeria’s foreign reserves had plummeted below $3.9 billion—an amount insufficient to cover even one month of national fuel imports.
“When we assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign reserves were a staggeringly low $3.9 billion that was not enough to import fuel for one month,” Shettima stated. “He had the courage and the conviction to take far-reaching decisions. He saved the economy. I want Nigerians to understand this fundamental truism. We were on the road to Caracas; he saved our economy, he saved the nation from falling into pieces.”
Acknowledging the severe inflation and public hardship that accompanied the policy shifts, the Vice-President asked citizens to exercise patience while expressing confidence in the long-term trajectory of the reforms.
“We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but tough times do not last forever; tough people do,” he said, urging the public to be generous in their assessment of the president’s performance given the scale of the crisis he inherited.
Highlighting government interventions to soften the economic blow on vulnerable households, Shettima pointed to targeted relief packages currently being rolled out across the geopolitical zones.
He cited the transport subsidies, deployment of 300 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and electric taxis alongside 10,600 electric tricycles for the North-East.
The Education Relief: Expansion of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to cushion tuition costs for students from low-income families and the Launch of e-logistics networks in the North-West aimed at lowering food distribution expenses.
Addressing political activities picking up ahead of the 2027 general elections, Shettima assured citizens that the administration would maintain focus on executive duties while navigating the political cycle.
“Politics is in the air, but we will combine politics and governance,” the Vice-President concluded, reaffirming President Tinubu’s empathy for everyday Nigerians and commitment to sustained economic recovery.
