Tinubu to OPS: I have no excuses to underperform, I campaigned for the job

President Bola Tinubu has assured the Nigeria Business Community of government support to improve the ease of doing business, reaffirming that his administration can’t underperform because he campaigned for the job.

He said this during Iftar at the State House, Abuja, late Thursday, when he hosted the nation’s Organized Private Sector (OPS).

Tinubu called on the entrepreneurs to support his government and Nigeria’s success, reminding them that “there are some countries that have failed, and there are some countries that have succeeded.”

“In our time, in my time, all of us must work together to succeed.”

He said there is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector, pointing out that if the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment, and no development.

Tinubu said: “I have no reason to underperform as the elected president of the country because I campaigned for the job. I cannot complain about the job. I appreciate the gesture, and 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.

“There are some countries that have succeeded. In our time and in my time, all of us must work together to succeed.

”Laying the template for discussion, the president said, I would have summoned you before now, not during Ramadan, because you are a very valuable part of my constituency.

“Thank you for persevering. 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.”

He reiterated his commitment to fulfilling his mandate, emphasising that he could not afford to underperform, given the trust placed in him by the electorate.

Sharing insights from his visit to the New York Stock Exchange in 2023, the president noted Nigeria’s self-belief and determination to drive economic transformation from within.

“At the New York Stock Exchange, I appealed to foreign investors to consider Nigeria as a prime investment destination.

“At the end of my remarks, I told them we only want them to show their face and diversify Nigeria’s economy, not as if we cannot do it ourselves.

“Tony Elumelu walked up to me and thanked me for making that statement. We can do it. Nigeria is a self-believer and can always deliver on its own. We know our first name and our last name,” the president also said.

Earlier, in separate remarks at the Ramadan dinner, industrialists, bank executives, and entrepreneurs pledged their support for the success of the administration’s economic programmes.

Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, assured the president that the organised private sector in the country is solidly behind him.

“Your transformation journey to turn around the economy and businesses is very appropriate for the country.

“We appreciate what you are doing. We know the journey will not be smooth, but given the will, we will get to the Promised Land.

“We admire your decisiveness, and we appreciate what you are doing. You are incredibly passionate about bringing Nigeria to the Promised Land.

“On behalf of the OPS, we want to assure you that we are 100 percent with you. We have engaged with your ministers and associates, sharing ideas and supporting them. We know that under your leadership, you have the ability to heal Nigeria permanently,” Elumelu said.

Allen Onyema, Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, charged business owners and manufacturers with working to reduce the cost of products and services.

Citing the example of Air Peace in reducing the cost of air tickets to London, Onyema thanked President Tinubu for improving the ease of doing business in the country.

He said: “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.”