Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has urged Nigerians to avoid using the expression “May Nigeria never happen to you”.
The phrase used to express negativity about the country’s prospect and systemic corruption had gained traction among many Nigerians because of the present economic situation.
Speaking at The Platform, an event organised by the Covenant Nation, Oyedele said Nigerians should say instead “May Nigeria work for me”
He said the “worst is behind us” in terms of the challenges faced by Nigerians due to this administration’s economic reforms that have increased the cost of living.
Oyedele said: “There is nothing wrong with Nigeria. But maybe there is something wrong with the people ruling Nigeria.
“In America, people get killed every day by gunmen. But have you ever heard Americans say, ‘May America never happen to you?’ Let’s stop saying, ‘May Nigeria never happen to you.’ Maybe we can turn it into, ‘May Nigeria work for me.’
Expressing confidence in the country’s economic trajectory, he said: “Going by available data, I personally believe that the worst is behind us.
“Removing subsidies is the best decision we made as a country. And we can now say that, for once, the subsidy is gone.
“We were living in window-dressed realities. If you look back to about two years ago, the naira exchange rate was N450 depending on who you asked. But was our exchange rate really N450? If you wanted to buy petrol, it was under N200 per litre, but was it really under N200 per litre.”