President Bola Tinubu says Nigerians are not the only ones facing poverty globally.
While admitting that poverty and suffering plague the nation, the President said the challenges must be tackled.
One of the ways of tackling them, he said, is to eliminate banditry and terrorism so that farmers can return to the farm.
According to a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said this in Lagos on Monday when he received a delegation from the National Assembly who paid him a visit during the Eid el-Kabir.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio led the delegation, alongside the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, among others.
Tinubu counsels that it is imperative for Nigerians to have a change of value system for the nation to make progress.
“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 farmland.
“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 damages, you will pay the price,” the President said.
He challenged citizens to have a change of mindset about Nigeria if the nation is to overcome its current challenges.
“The need (for some citizens) to change the rent-seeking mindset and become more productive to the economy is a challenge. The need to stop smuggling and all economic sabotage.
“Why should we have people removing rail tracks and all that, stealing electric cables and sabotaging the economy?
“We must embrace the campaign to change our value system. We must tell our people that the challenge we face is for all of us to change our mindset about our country,” Tinubu stressed.
The President also commended the leadership of the National Assembly for the support extended to his administration, which he said had resulted in some of the important developments recorded by his administration.
“It is great pride for me to have the best of partners in the National Assembly. We have to drill down and be all-inclusive in our bid to satisfy our people.
“It is daunting, but we cannot run away from the fact that this country must survive the hardship,” he stated.
The President acknowledged the challenges and the task ahead, assuring the nation of his unwavering determination to turn things around.”
