Governor Alex Otti has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, attributing the hardship in the country to years of poor economic decisions.

“So what you see that people interpret as hardship today is a fallout of previous bad behaviour,” said Mr Otti while receiving the first lady, Remi Tinubu, in the state on Tuesday. “I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage. Thank him for the sacrifices. Some people may not understand. It takes a man with courage to do what he did in 2023: remove petroleum subsidy and follow suit with the floating of the naira.”

According to him, the removal of subsidy on petrol and the floating of the naira made more resources available to the three tiers of government.

“What has that done? That has freed up a lot of funds that would have been used in financing consumption to do other things in the federal government, in the states, and in the local governments,” the governor stated. “Today, a lot of states are not owing salaries. A lot of states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower people to produce rather than consume.”

Mr Otti, however, acknowledged the pain caused by the reforms.

“Now, make no mistakes about it: every courageous decision, every courageous action has its own consequences, so if you remove subsidy and if you float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time the economy will begin to correct,” the Abia governor explained.