ABIA STATE, NIGERIA – On Tuesday, July 21, 2026, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, commended the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, for removing the national fuel subsidy and floating the naira.
Okay News reports that the governor delivered his remarks while receiving the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during her visit to promote the Akwete weaving heritage in the Ukwa East Local Government Area.
Addressing the First Lady, Otti asked her to convey his appreciation to the President for the economic decisions. “I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage. Thank him for his sacrifices. Some people may not understand. It takes a man with courage to do what he did in 2023, remove petroleum subsidy, and followed suit with the floating the naira,” Otti said.
The governor stated that the policy changes increased the revenue available across different tiers of government. “What has that done? That has freed up a lot of funds that would have been used in financing consumption to doing other things in the federal government, in the states, and in the local governments. And today, a lot of states are now paying salaries. A lot of states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower people to produce rather than consume,” he said.
Otti acknowledged the short-term economic effects of the policy changes. “Now, make no mistakes about it. Every courageous decision, every courageous action, has its own consequences. So, if you remove subsidy and if float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time, the economy will begin to correct,” he said.
He attributed the current economic difficulties experienced by citizens to prior practices. “So, what you see that people interpret as hardship today are the fallouts of previous behavior,” Otti said.
