By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday informed the organised private sector (OPS) that Nigeria’s economy was at a turning point and had no reason to underperform because he was given the mandate to save the nation.
At an Iftar yesterday in Abuja with members of the Nigerian business community, Mr Tinubu called for more support from the private sector, saying he recognises its impact on the economy.
“There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector. If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment or development. No matter how flowery the speeches are, not even a mushroom will grow.
“We are at a turning point in our economy. I do not have to do a quadratic equation to illustrate all of that to you. I just want to appreciate you for your endurance and perseverance,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement issued last night by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.
President Tinubu promised to engage with the business community more frequently, thanking the big business owners for their support since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Though the President admitted that the job before him was enormous, he emphasised that, “I cannot complain about the job” because he campaigned to be elected to do.
“What you have told me this evening is very inspiring. Cut the costs. Fix the bends. Summon courage. Save the money, but push the economy. We will be there.
“There are some countries that have failed. Some countries have succeeded. In our time, in my time, all of us must work together to succeed. Thank you very much,” he stated.
In his remarks, the chief executive of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, charged business owners and manufacturers to work towards bringing down the cost of products and services.
Citing the example of Air Peace in reducing the cost of air tickets to London, Mr Onyema thanked President Tinubu for improving the ease of doing business in the country.
“President Tinubu is thinking of the Nigeria of the future. The ease of doing business is coming back gradually. I can attest to that in the aviation sector because of the people you appointed to head that sector.
“I can also attest to what our High Commission in the United Kingdom did in making Air Peace flights into Gatwick Airport a possibility,” the airline operator said.
On his part, the Chairman of UBA Plc and Heirs Holdings, Mr Tony Elumelu, said, “On behalf of the OPS, we want to assure you that we are 100 per cent with you.
“We have engaged with your ministers and associates; we share ideas, and we support them. We know that under your leadership, you can heal Nigeria permanently.”
