President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday said Nigeria had no business being poor, having been blessed with enormous human and natural resources across the country.
In a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja, Tinubu assured Nigerians that under his leadership, the resources would be adequately harnessed for the benefit of citizens.
Ngelale said the president stated this at a meeting with a 62-man delegation from Rivers, comprising of leaders from both the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC), and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the State House, Abuja.
“We are not meant to be in a position to be poor. We will turn the tide! Somewhere, somehow in this storm, there’s a quiet and peaceful place for us. We will locate it!
“We are not lazy people, we are richly endowed. We just need to be our brother’s keeper, and good neighbours to one another. I am not a President that will give excuses.
“’I will work hard for our nation with purpose, determination and dedication, to create wealth for all Nigerians., we have no reason to be poor! We will not look back, we will run aggressively forward.
“Today, we may be swimming against the tide. But the waves will soon propel us forward from behind. We will achieve the goals and dreams of our forefathers. I am inspired by the people I now lead,” the President said.
Speaking on infrastructure development in Rivers State, Tinubu said he had heard the cries of prominent Rivers sons, with particular reference to the Eleme Junction-Onne axis of the East-West Road, linking the Port Harcourt Refinery.
According to him, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is a strong adviser, and will follow up on the issue for prompt action.
“The Honourable Minister, Wike, is not just the Minister of FCT, he is also my adviser and an admirer of mine. He has hit the ground running and he should be encouraged by the state,” the President said.
In his remarks, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, told the President that the delegation, which included leaders of political parties, past and present members of the state and National Assembly across parties, was on a solidarity and thank you visit.
“The people of Rivers State voted for you in the last general elections based on their belief in fairness, equity and justice. This is the first time that Rivers State is truly feeling the impact of the Federal Government, since the inception of democracy in 1999,” Fubara said.
The governor said that the delegation appreciated the President for appointing capable sons and daughters of the state into highly strategic positions in his administration.
He particularly thanked the president for the appointments of Wike; Ngelale, other sons and daughters of Rivers into the Boards and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as well as other institutions.
Fubara applauded Tinubu for attracting the 14 billion dollars investment approval for projects nationwide during the G-20 Summit, including the expansion of Indorama Petrochemicals in Eleme, Rivers.
He disclosed that state had just allocated 209 hectares of land in support of the new investment.