President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said he is one of the lucky survivors of gripping poverty in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the president stated most Nigerians have ties with poverty growing up, adding that the country has focused too much on talks instead of actions to curtail the high levels of poverty.
Tinubu stated this while meeting with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, in his office at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.
The president said he is committed to taking decisions that would change the poverty narrative in the country.
He said: “Trace those of us here to our foundations, and you will find that we have ties and links with poverty.
“We must not be ashamed of that history, but poverty is unacceptable. I am one of the lucky survivors of gripping poverty.
“Nigeria is truly a giant, 240 million people and counting with a massive youth population.
“We are done saying too much. We seek such action. We have arisen out of poverty as individuals, but until our people have arisen out of that, we will not rest, even if it requires decisions at home that make me temporarily unpopular.”
Tinubu stated that he is determined to follow through on his promise of reforming Nigeria, even if it earns him an infamous reputation.
He said his drive to ensure that democracy stands in the country was met with arrests in the past, stressing that he is determined to provide the development that Nigeria and Africa need.
“I fought for democracy. I was detained for democracy. I am now President, and I am determined to prove that democracy can provide the development that our nation and our continent so urgently demand,” Tinubu said.
