Minister of Works David Umahi says President Bola Tinubu has sleepless nights over the “very bad” economy he inherited from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Umahi, who spoke while inspecting some projects in Aba, Abia State, on Saturday, urged citizens to support Mr Tinubu’s government.

“The citizens of this country will need to do their bit, while leadership also does its bit. That is the only way it will work,” Mr Umahi said. “While Mr President is passing through sleepless nights on how to solve the problems of a very bad inherited economy, Nigerians should support him and also support themselves.”

Mr Umahi becomes the second person in Mr Tinubu’s cabinet to berate Mr Buhari’s administration for leaving the economy in a “very bad” shape.

In November 2023, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu lamented that the Tinubu-led government “inherited a difficult situation, literally a bankrupt country, no money.”

Mr Tinubu took over the helm of affairs from his party man, Mr Buhari, on May 29, 2023, with an inflation rate of 22 per cent and a debt profile of over N46 trillion, according to the Debt Management Office.

However, Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has insisted that the former administration rescued the Nigerian economy within its eight-year rule between 2015 and 2023.