Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday urged Nigerians to support the economic reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu, declaring that the president is robustly imbued with the capacity to fix the Nigerian economy, based on his antecedents.
Shettima, who also declared that the economic turbulence Nigeria was going through was not peculiar to the country but a global phenomenon, took a swipe at those who mocked the president for his misstep during the June 12 anniversary.
While acknowledging that Nigerians have the right to ask questions about Tinubu's conditions, Shettima condemned what he described as a mischievous fixation on the president's health status.
He argued that the late presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, and Mwai Kibaki of Kenya fixed their countries' economies despite their health challenges.
Speaking at the weekend during the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Townhall Meeting held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, Shettima said Nigeria's economic problem was a global phenomenon with most countries worldwide facing one economic problem or the other.
Commenting on Nigeria's economy, he said: "Yes, our economy is going through turbulence, but is it confined to Nigeria alone?
"Let's talk about the global picture. Is any economy immune from the challenges of the times?"
He described President Tinubu as a man of ideas imbued with capacity who should be allowed to turn the nation around for the better.
"I can tell you, with all sense of confidence that the president we have now is a man of ideas, who is robustly imbued with the capacity.
"We have never had it so good in terms of leadership. President Tinubu means well for the nation. And most importantly, he is inbued with the skills set to drive change and, in this country," Shettima said.
Shettima took a swipe at Nigerians who took to social media to make a mockery of President Tinubu's misstep during the Democracy Day celebration on June 12.
The vice president, who veered off his prepared speech to berate those who mocked the president, said: "When the president stumbled in the June 12 celebration; it was not only disheartening and disenchanting, but stultifying and heartbreaking that some of our countrymen were celebrating. But I dare to put it to you that the hallmark of true leadership is not the ability to lift a bag of cement, but the capacity to come up with robust ideas to solve a nation's problems."
He noted that "one of the greatest presidents of the United States was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), with all his health challenges, was able to shepherd the American economy during the Great Depression and the Second World War, and because of the quality of his ideas, America became a superpower."
Shettima also referred to the accident that confined Mwai Kibaki (former President of Kenya) to a wheelchair, saying the unfavourable incident did not confine his (Kibaki's) abilities to come up with robust solutions that made Kenya record double-digit growth during his time as president.
While emphasising that leadership is about competence, the vice president clarified that "we are not asking you not to question the eligibility of your president's condition. But there is this mischievous fixation on the President's health status. We are not preparing for the Olympics but an institution that builds on the superiority of ideas.
"Your excellencies, this is a man when he became the governor of Lagos State in 1999, Lagos was a monstrosity, a huge slum. When you are coming into Lagos through Maryland, there is even a statue that says this is Lagos; no one welcomes you to Lagos.
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"But because of the quality of his leadership, ably assisted by the likes of the Minister of Finance, the monthly IGR of Lagos is now N61 billion. Lagos, as of last year, was the fifth-largest economy in Africa and is projected to be the third-largest economy by the end of the decade.
"So, this is a man that we need to all rally around. We need to support him.
"So, I urge you to be fair to this poor man. There's no doubt that every thriving economy draws life from the quality of reforms adopted to offer the people happiness, and will translate their business ideas into formidable enterprises.
"These reforms must become ingrained in the fabric of our public institutions. By doing so, we pave the way for sustained progress and lasting impact that will outlive us all, creating a better Nigeria for our children and their children afterwards," Shettima explained.
