Kashim Shettima, the Vice President-elect, has stated that the government of his principle, Bola Tinubu, may not get off to a good start.
Tinubu and Shettima will be sworn in on Monday, signaling the end of outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration after two four-year mandates.
Shettima told Nigerians that Tinubu will hit the ground running in an address delivered on Friday at the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Public Lecture at the National Mosque in Abuja.
“The starting point might not be rosy, let me be very honest with you. The oil subsidy has become an albatross around our necks. The multiple exchange rates system is a drain on the national economy and creates a dual economic system,” he said.
There are certain decisions that the new administration will take, but in the fullness of time, Nigerians will come not only to appreciate but also to celebrate us,” Shettima said.
According to incoming Vice-President, the future administration will not have the luxury of time because the nation’s difficulties are “humongous.”
“As the Chinese will say, ‘The worst curse that a Chinese man may wish on you is for you to live in interesting times.’ And indeed, we are living in interesting times. But rest assured that in the fullness of time, Nigerians will come to pay glowing tributes to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
The Vice President-elect described power as the “most ephemeral” of God’s gifts to humans, arguing that a person’s ancestry does not determine who they are.
“We’re here — we’re leaders — not because of our intellect. Neither Kashim Shettima nor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu holds any PhD degree. We are what we are not because of our physical powers. We are what we are, not because of our political sagacity. There are better politicians.
“Power, to us, will be a humbling experience. It’s an opportunity to serve God and humanity. And whether we accept it or not, we are going to spend more years of our lives outside power than in power,” he said.
Shettima characterized Tinubu as a selfless leader who would “do justice” to all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliations, religious beliefs, ethnic or sectional roots.
“We’re all united by our common heritage of poverty, destitution and insecurity. This is the time for all of us to coalesce into a single force,” he added.
