In an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, the former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba, discussed the present administration’s borrowing practices, emphasizing the necessity due to an empty treasury left by the past government.
He defended the N7.3 trillion ways and means funds borrowed by the Tinubu administration, stating : “When the treasury is empty, when the previous administration was borrowing to pay salaries, what else can you do except to borrow for now to fill the gap? That does not mean that the culture of borrowing will go on forever and ever. It’s only serving us for now.”
Osoba also touched upon the issue of hoarding cash, revealing that Tinubu plans to sign an executive order to encourage Nigerians against hoarding money. He shared details of his discussion with President Tinubu on Christmas Day, saying : “During my discussion with President Tinubu on Christmas Day, he disclosed to me that he is preparing a document to encourage Nigerians to bring out hidden funds that are currently out of the banking system and causing cash scarcity.”
Addressing the delay in President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the victims of the Plateau State attack on Christmas Eve, Osoba justified it, stating : “On the issue of token appearance, it is not just a token. He must be ready when he is going to go there, it is to tell them the steps and actions that he is going to take to contain this situation that has been going on.”
Commenting on the visits of opposition parties to the affected communities, Osoba acknowledged their role in creating robust critical engagements.
He said, “For the opposition parties, that is their role. There must be robust engagements. If they don’t engage us robustly, how would we know some of our shortcomings and challenges?”
Regarding the subsidy removal, Osoba acknowledged the expected hardships and problems, stating, “Yes, there are hardships and problems. We expected it.” He explained that President Tinubu had no choice but to announce the removal of the subsidy to avoid violating the law immediately after assuming office. Osoba acknowledged the challenges brought about by the subsidy removal, affecting various aspects of people’s lives.
He concluded, “Naturally, we don’t expect people to hail the government in every aspect. You will hear, go back home, and then rearrange things.”
