President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that the main focus of his administration is to eliminate poverty.

Tinubu stated this while instructing the National Economic Council (NEC) to immediately work out measures to eliminate poverty triggered by subsidy removal.

Tinubu gave the instructions at the meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) members on Wednesday June 7, 2023.

The president noted that the money saved by ending the decades-long subsidy last week will aid the government’s projects and efforts to combat poverty in Nigeria.

He pleaded for patience as millions of people are experiencing more hardship due to the move to end the controversial subsidy regime.

A statement by the Director of Information at the State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, quoted the president as saying: “We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people.

“Poverty is not hereditary, it is from the society. Our position is to eliminate poverty.

“Set aside partisan politics. We are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building. We are a family occupying one house, and sleeping in different rooms.

“If we see it that way and push forward, we will get our people out of poverty. A determined mind is a fertile ground for delivering results.”

“Present in this room is our diversity in culture and politics, but we are one nation. The unity and stability of the country rest upon us.

“We are in a democracy and we have to nurture the democracy. It is a hard-earned system and not easy to manage.

“If anyone thinks it is easy, look at other nations who are over a hundred years in democracy.

“We have managed ourselves very well to have a democracy. We have campaigned and arrived at our present destination. We must work for our people,” President Tinubu told the governors while assuring them that he would maintain an open-door policy.

What do we do in the face of crushing poverty? What do we do with our development goals? We took the bull by the horns by removing the elephant in the room before the nation sinks.

“We need synergy to fight other vices like corruption. We are trying to get smugglers out of the way.

“How do we work together to galvanise the economy, and put resources in place? We must think and perform.

“After removing subsidy, there must be savings accruing to the Federation Account,” he said.

While reacting, governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, who is the Chairman of the NGF expressed his satisfaction with the President’s subsidy-removal move, all-inclusive leadership and statesmanship.

“The NGF will follow the tradition of working constitutionally and harmoniously with you,’’ he said.