Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, has called on Nigerians to pause the ongoing nationwide protests against the current administration.
He assured the public that President Bola Tinubu is diligently working to address the country’s challenges.
In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, on Friday in Abuja, Audu urged citizens to exercise patience and trust in President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.
Audu emphasized that the administration’s policies are designed to drive Nigeria toward economic prosperity, improve welfare, education, health systems, social amenities, food security, and infrastructural development.
Highlighting President Tinubu’s achievements in just over a year, Audu assured Nigerians that their expectations for good governance would be met before the end of the President’s first tenure.
“I appeal to my fellow Nigerians to suspend the nationwide protests against the current administration and resort to dialogue to address our concerns and expectations from the Tinubu-led government,” Audu stated.
He noted that President Tinubu has demonstrated concern for Nigerians through initiatives such as implementing a N70,000 minimum wage for workers and promoting the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, which aims to reduce transportation costs by at least 70% by replacing fuel with CNG vehicles.
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“Responsive to the challenges faced by the masses amidst ongoing reforms, President Tinubu has directed the disbursement of N50,000 uplift grants to over 100,000 families per state for three months, impacting close to 5 million families nationwide.
Additionally, under the President’s directive, strategic measures are being implemented to address high food prices, with assurances that prices will decrease within 180 days,” Audu added.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, is overseeing the importation of 250,000 metric tonnes of wheat and maize to be supplied to small-scale processors and millers across the country.
Strengthening the health sector, President Tinubu has directed the redesign of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, securing $2.5 billion in financing for National Primary Health Care to ensure better healthcare access for citizens.
Audu emphasized the relentless efforts of the Cabinet under President Tinubu’s leadership to implement various policies across all sectors to actualize the Renewed Hope Agenda. In the steel sector, ongoing reforms aim to revive steel plants, create over 500,000 jobs, and attract Foreign Direct Investments to grow and diversify the economy.
The minister also urged Nigerians to avoid protests based on intelligence reports indicating that miscreants might hijack the demonstrations to cause chaos and disrupt law and order across the country.
