The Senate leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has alleged that some saboteurs are frustrating President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standard of Nigerians.
Bamidele said that the sabotuers were determined to undermine all the efforts being made by the current administration towards putting Nigeria on progressives path of all round socio-economic growth and development.
The senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the upper chamber who spoke on Tuesday, December 26, while addressing journalists in his Iyin-Ekiti country home in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
He stated that the insidious activities of saboteurs were undermining President Tinubu’s intervening efforts to revamp the country’s economy by manipulating the foreign exchange market (forex) for their personal gains.
The Senate leader said that this was hurting the manufacturing and other productive sectors as they lack access to the forex needed to import raw materials, spare parts and machine
Bamidele added that it was unfortunate that those who felt President Tinubu’s revolutionary economic policies would affect them adversely were working hard to sabotage them by all means to protect their selfish interests at the detriment of Nigerians.
He added that Tinubu’s administration could have by now achieve much for the country but for the destructive tendency of the cabals who are fighting back over removal oil subsidy and other economic policies that appears antithetical to their interest.
He stated that the federal government, will, from next year, clamp down on the economic saboteurs as they are already on the watchlist, saying Nigeria would not succumb to the destructive tendency of the profiteers.
“This administration is also going after saboteurs especially those who are doing everything viciously possible to keep dollar so high against our naira and those who are making naira unavailable. It has gotten to a level where the federal government has to go after the so called saboteurs and punish them. All of these would happen in the new year.
“We know that in the long run, those who are trying to mop up naira and dollar in the street so that prices can go up and those who are speculating are definitely on the watch list of the government and at some point the government would go after them. But beyond that, there is hope on the horizon for Nigerians”, the senate leader added.
Bamidele admitted that Nigerians were experiencing hardship due to the subsidy removal on oil coupled with activities of the saboteurs, saying there was light at the end of the tunnel as President Tinubu was uncompromisingly resolute in his determination to bringing succour to the citizens.
He assured Nigerians that the economy and other critical sectors will bloat into shape with holistic implementation of the 2024 budget, saying in the next few months Nigerians would heave a sigh of relief.
He urged Nigerians not to lose hope in President Tinubu’s leadership, saying “he has a strong conviction that the number one helsman would turn the situation of things around for good in the country like he did in Lagos State.
“There is no doubt that 2024 is going to witness transformation in our economy. I’m pained about circumstances of our people and what they are going through at the moment but I’m more joyous and excited about immediate bright future that is following this because i know that in Nigeria will shall laugh again”, he said.
On the 2024 budget proposal, Bamidele maintained that the Senate would meet the December 30, 2023 deadline set for passage of the N27.5 trillion budgetary estimate.
He added that the National Assembly are working assiduously in ensuring that the 2024 budget proposal laid before it was passed before the end of the year with a view to sustaining January to December budget implementation cycle.
The Senate Leader said that the Senate would resume plenary on Wednesday for the harmonisation of reports of various committees and subsequent processing of the appropriation bill for passage by joint session of the National Assembly.
“We are determined to pass the budget proposal before the end of the year in order to sustain the January-December budget cycle. The implication is that our economy can take off early and private sectors could draw their business plan for the year because they depend largely on patronage from government.
“Our hope and determination is to pass the 2024 budget proposal by December 2023 so that by December 1, 2024, Mr President would have a bill at his desk for assent. To achieve this, we have been sitting beyond the legislative days. We’re sitting on Saturday and Sunda. And also we have only given ourselves three to celebrate Christmas so as to meet the deadline”.
