Nigeria’s new Vice President, Kashim Shettima assumed office on Tuesday, assuring Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu will provide good leadership in the country.
Shettima was sworn in as Vice President on Monday, at the inauguration of President Tinubu with whom he contested and won the February 28, 2023 election in Nigeria.
He spoke to reporters soon after he entered his office in the Vice President’s Wing of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking on his vision for Nigeria, Shettima said that President Tinubu would provide the lead and he would support him to realise the Nigerian dream.
He said; “I believe this generation has a rendezvous with destiny and my principal, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is poised to redefine the meaning and concept of modern governance.
“I want to assure Nigerians that he is going to provide the lead. He is going to provide the leadership and we will rally around him, give him our unequivocal support and loyalty to see to the realization of the Nigerian dream—a Nigeria where every black man in the world should be proud of.”
Higher pedestal
Shettima expressed confidence that the Tinubu administration work to raise Nigeria and put the country on a higher pedestal.
The VP said; “Power to me is a humbling experience. It’s all about how we can make life better for the common man.
“So, I want to assure our countrymen that President Bola Tinubu will, by the grace of God, catapult this nation to a higher pedestal.
“He is determined; he has the skills set; he has the temperament; the disposition and the purity of mind and commitment to give service to this nation.”
Subsidy
Pointing out that Nigeria spent about $10 billion in 2022 on oil subsidies, Vice President Shettima said that it has become unsustainable to keep spending such a huge amount for the ostentatious lifestyle of the rich few.
He said: “The president has already made pronouncements yesterday on the issue of the fuel subsidy.
“The truth of the matter is that it is either we get rid of subsidy or the fuel subsidy gets rid of the Nigerian nation.
“And we know the consequences of unveiling a masquerade. We will get fierce opposition from those benefitting from the oil subsidy scam. But where there is a will, there is a way. Be rest assured that our President is a man of strong will and conviction.
“In the fullness of time, you will appreciate his noble intentions for the nation. The issue of fuel subsidy will be frontally addressed. The earlier we do so, the better.”
“The issue of multiple exchange rates, we are going to collapse it into one.
“So, these are two big elephants in the room and as the days go by we will be unveiling our agenda.
“He is going to unveil his agenda because as I have always said there can never be two captains on a ship.
“He is the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. I’m the vice president. Your relevance is directly proportional to the level of your loyalty to the president.
“This is a gentleman that I have known for well over a decade; that I have interacted closely with. Be rest assured that we are going to work harmoniously as a team, as a family for the greater good of our nation,” Shettima said.
Mourns Dokpesi
Vice President Shettima also expressed condolences to the management and staff of DAAR Communications over the death of their founder, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi.
He described the late Dokpesi as “a very good friend” and prayed for the repose of his soul.
Dr. Dokpesi died on Monday at the age of 71.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
