President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has likened the state of Nigeria when he assumed office in 2023 to that of a sick patient who had just been diagnosed with cancer.
Tinubu made the comparison on Thursday during a nationwide broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
The President said his administration had chosen to pursue difficult economic reforms that previous governments, including that of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, had avoided.
According to him, past leaders often treated the symptoms of Nigeria’s problems rather than addressing the underlying issues.
“By 2023, Nigeria was like a sick patient who received the terrible news that he had cancer,” Tinubu said.
“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came.
“They focused on symptoms while allowing the disease to take hold deep within the fabric of our society.
“We spent enormous sums sustaining inefficient arrangements that were never intended to last. We hid from difficult truths and passed the consequences from one generation to the next.”
Tinubu said his administration had instead opted to confront what he described as Nigeria’s longstanding structural problems, despite the immediate difficulties associated with the reforms.
He maintained that the government would continue on its reform path as it works towards building a stronger and more sustainable Nigerian economy.
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