Minister of Budget and Planning Atiku Bagudu, a bagman for late Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha, says Nigerians must make sacri­fices and stop comparing the country to other developed ones for the black nation to grow.

“The simple truth is that we have to make sacrifices in order for our country to achieve the growth that it requires,” Mr Bagudu said while defending the 2024 budget increment by N6.2 trillion before the House of Representatives committee on appropriations.

He added, “Those countries whom we are teaching our children that they have achieved this and that; we should stop comparing ourselves to where they (the countries) are today. But what choices did they make in the past to bring them to where they are?”

The minister, who admitted that Nigeria had not advanced as expected, said the developed countries “took choices that maybe we should have taken. We have a leader (Mr Tinubu) who is not even saying, Let us blame this or blame that.”

“How do we mobilise all together? Our children need to appreciate this fact. It is not a pleasant conversation when any father calls the children and says, Look, I am not as rich as you think I am. Let’s face it,” he said.

Mr Bagudu’s call for increased sacrifice comes as Nigerians face severe economic hardship marked by soaring food prices while the government allocates funds for luxury vehicles for the legislature.

An editorial in the Financial Times published on July 17 critiqued Mr Tinubu’s administration, labelling his economic policies as “disjointed” and suggesting they have exacerbated the suffering of Nigerians.

While Nigeria’s economic difficulties predate Mr Tinubu’s presidency, his recent policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the naira, have seen petrol prices surge from N145 to N710 per litre, and the country’s currency plummet to approximately N1,500 against the dollar.

With food prices rising by more than 100 per cent nationwide, as reported by the Peoples Gazette, Mr Tinubu’s economic strategies are under intense scrutiny, both within Nigeria and abroad, amid growing plans for nationwide protests against his government.