President Bola Tinubu has said though there is poverty and suffering in the country, Nigeria is not the only nation facing such situation, and cautioned criminals against vandalism of rail tracks, and stealing of electric cables, describing such acts as pure sabotage.

He also said that good economics at a harsh time was the challenge his administration must face, adding that no matter how difficult and how challenging it could be, he would not turn his back on Nigeria.

President Tinubu, who spoke in Lagos when he received a delegation from the National Assembly who came to felicitate with him on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, on Monday night, urged citizens to embrace a new value system to make progress.

The president’s comment that Nigeria was not the only country facing poverty elicited criticisms from former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, LP, who said he was elected to tackle, instead of amplifying poverty, and should stop making excuses for allegedly inflicting multidimensional poverty on Nigerians.

Said Tinubu: “Yes, there is poverty; there is suffering in the land. We are not the only people facing such but we must face our challenges. We must find a way to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers can bring out food from the farmlands.

“If you do not have good roads to bring the food to the population, even if you grow the food and you are losing 60-70 per cent to damage, you will pay the price. “

President Tinubu contended that Nigerians must have a change of value system if the nation is to make progress.

The delegation, led by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, included the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau; and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, among others.

“Good economics at a harsh time is the challenge that we must face. As I said in my speech, no matter how difficult it is and how challenging it can be, I will not turn my back on Nigeria,” the President stated, and challenged citizens to have a change of mindset about Nigeria for the nation to overcome her current challenges.

Reacting, the LP expressed disappointment with President Tinubu’s statement which it described as making mockery of Nigeria’s poor.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in a chat with Vanguard, said the President needs to be reminded that he was elected into office to reduce, if not eliminate poverty, and not exacerbate it.

Speaking in a similar vein, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his Special Adviser, Paul Ibe, said: “There’s a saying that the baby goat watches the mother goat eating grass and consequently learns to eat grass.

“There are little or no values nurtured and promoted by Tinubu and his administration. What Nigerians are seeing manifest is insensitivity, bigotry, nepotism, corruption, and wastefulness.

“For the President to speak about us finding a way to eliminate banditry and terrorism is an acknowledgement of failure.

END.