‘…Nigeria gradually regaining global investors’ confidence’

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Friday said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies had provided additional fiscal space for the government to invest in infrastructure, education, and other sectors of the nation’s economy.

Idris, who stated this in Jalingo during the  35 years celebration of the creation of Taraba state, noted that Tinubu’s administration had strengthened the capacity of the federal and state governments to fund critical developmental projects across the country. 

He said the president’s decision to remove fuel subsidies had enabled the government to re-direct resources previously committed to subsidy payments towards development.

“The current administration inherited a difficult economic situation in which many states struggled to meet their salary obligations.

“Let me tell all Nigerians that reversing the subsidy policy would undermine the gains being recorded by the federal government 

“The increased resources available to the various tiers of the government are evident in the number of infrastructure projects being executed across the country,” he said.

According to the minister, the federal government’s education interventions policy is part of the benefits of the reforms.

“Let us not quickly forget that qualified students are being supported irrespective of their political, religious, or ethnic backgrounds.

“The government’s objective is to ensure that financial difficulties do not prevent young Nigerians from accessing education,” he added. 

On the economy, Idris declared that “Nigeria is gradually regaining the confidence of international investors, with improvements in key economic indicators, including foreign exchange reserves and inflation.”

In his remarks, the Taraba state governor,  Agbu Kefas, said the state had continued to benefit from the support of the federal government under President Tinubu.

He said his administration was implementing policies that aligned with the president’s reform agenda, while introducing state-specific measures to reduce the economic burden on residents.

The governor listed free education, payment of examination fees, regular payment of salaries, and implementation of the minimum wage among measures taken by his administration to cushion the effects of the economic hardship.

He disclosed that the state government had also recorded improved security through cooperation with federal security agencies.