Ukechir: Before Long, People Will Realise Tinubu Meant Well for Nigeria

In this interview with Seriki Adinoyi, Convener of Grassroots Support for Tinubu 2027, Mr. Tersoo David Ukechir, speaks on the prevailing economic situation in the country with a submission that though Nigerians are suffering due to misdeeds of past government, President Bola Tinubu is doing all possible best to turn the nation’s fortune around for the better.

What’s your perception of the present administration and President Bola Tinubu?

I will say it’s a tailor-made intention of handing over a rusty house to the only one who they believed could fix it. What do I mean by that?

Our country was in a very distressed state when President Bola Tinubu took over in 2023. There’s nothing else that he or any other leader could have done than what he is doing. He has given his attention to the problem; he’s not complaining. He went straight to face the challenges of Nigeria. The rot in the system was deep. To give you a typical example, the former administration was borrowing to run the government.

It means that even the food in Aso Villa was being paid for with borrowed money, salaries of civil servants, the workforce, the presidential jet, and presidential commitments around the world were all funded by borrowed money.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari was doing the impossible, at the detriment of the common man. To support the naira and the dollar, they were trying to sustain an artificial rating at a time when every month, the CBN was under pressure. Then, if I was to bring in chemicals to produce soap, I had to pay a third party in CBN and apply through my bank. The bank was to apply for me for the bid. Meanwhile, this is a genuine importation I’m bringing into my country to add value, but at the end they make more money than me the owner of the business. I’m telling you what you can verify. That was when the Naira was killed and why the economy became terrible.

What is President Tinubu doing differently to rejuvenate the economy because the general belief is that things are getting worse by the day?

Confronting the very things that were killing the economy, and giving power and resources back to local governments.

I remember I was on NTA to talk about the benefit of Local Government autonomy. I said it there that one of the best things our president could do for our country was to grant local government autonomy. If you witnessed when local governments had autonomy in the past, you will testify to the great achievements they made; there were competitions, with everyone trying to outdo the other.

Then, local governments were building bridges and giving out contracts, graduates would go back to their local governments to work. If there is genuine autonomy, without interference from any quarters, there would be employment and development at the grassroots, and money would be in the real sector where I believe local people can benefit.

President Tinubu is not sleeping over the hardships in the country; quite a lot of measures are being put in place to ameliorate the situation, and there are many positive changes happening, but because of the damage done during the eight years of the former administration, things won’t change overnight. We are facing the consequences of the mistakes made in the past administration. We need to be patient a little bit for things to get better and pray for the success of this administration.

What are the things that reinforce your belief that President Tinubu has the wand to fix this country?

First, what else does he want? He doesn’t want money, he’s a wealthy man; he’s a man of fortune. His legacy is what matters. He’s a man who believes in transformation. Lagos is a case study. Let me give you an example of the toll gate that became an issue. It was once a single route behind 1004. When Tinubu became the governor, it was dualised. In most parts of the world, the private sector built infrastructure. For example, in Hong Kong, every major road was built by individuals who had to recover their investments. What is wrong with that? If that toll gate became a problem, it changed the activities of Lagos. It became a driver for the economy. This is the same man who is now the president of Nigeria.

People are asking what building of a coastal road will do for them. The biggest beneficiaries of that coastal road will be the Igbo. What makes America different or what makes China the largest manufacturer is the infrastructure—the roads. When you say infrastructure, it means we need roads for the quick movement of goods and services, and this grows economy. The President understands all of these.

At the moment the President is grappling with how to fix the economy, and he is barely two years in office. Don’t you see your 2027 campaign as too early and a distraction?

This is not a distraction in any form; the president and his cabinet members are focused. I’m actually telling him he might not want to stand for election again, but I’m telling my president that he needs time to achieve the dreams and vision he has for our country. Four years is not enough.

I am expressing this because I want him to be president for eight years. So, I’m reminding him that though he might not have the intention to serve for eight years, he should give it a consideration. I’m encouraging Nigerians to begin to buy into the idea; let’s support him. Four years is not enough.

Aside campaigning for Tinubu’s second term, what is your group doing towards addressing the current hardships in the country?

We are building boreholes around the country. I have almost 260 boreholes completed in different communities. I just finished in Osun and Ekiti, and I’m starting again on Monday. These are solar-powered boreholes, providing 24/7 water to communities that have never had water before. I have billboards around the country, one costing me 12 to 13 million naira, paid for an entire year, displaying messages to help Nigerians be patriotic towards their country. I am also organising medical outreach and providing other amenities to Nigerians regardless of political affiliation.

I use my own resources to make these happen. But I am not approaching it the same way others do during elections, where they wait until the last minute to take action. We are launching buses across the country to ease transportation problem occasioned by hike in fuel price. You simply come, sit in the air-conditioned bus, and go to your destination.

Mr. President loves Nigerians, and his energy drives me to do what I’m doing. We are renovating secondary schools for the children of Nigerian masses, schools that you and I would not allow our children to attend.

Why are the buses meant for only students?

Students are the most vulnerable, along with the elderly and retirees; our grandmothers, women, and children. Those are our targets for this nationwide initiative. Additionally, we are providing scholarships for 300 students at various universities nationwide, with 150,000 naira for each student. I haven’t even mentioned that I’m here in Plateau State to provide for this community, and then next, we will move to Bauchi. We are alleviating the burden on parents who would otherwise need to borrow money for school fees.

Now, these buses are rolling, so the money that a mother would have borrowed can now be kept for her family while her daughter or son travels free on the air conditioned bus, courtesy of our president.

These are some of the things Asiwaju was doing even before he became president. He helped people; he is a generous man. This is the spirit we are promoting. There are two aspects to electing a president; you elect a president to come in and build. In this case, President Tinubu was elected to fix the damage and then build.

But Nigerians are groaning under the hardship the President Tinubu’s reform has brought upon them. What’s your of advice?

I will not blame Nigerians for wanting things to be done quickly; they have suffered. They have gone through bad times, painful times. The President recognises this, which is why he is working day and night to make hard decisions.

You must have a powerful mind to make the decisions Mr. President took on the first day, like removing the subsidy.  It’s only a few who can take these kinds of actions now. These decisions are meant for our benefit. Let’s support the President; he is aware of the difficulties.

Don’t listen to propaganda about him buying a plane. Every president needs to travel safely. Have Nigerians forgotten that his plane broke down while he was in Europe?

He had to find another plane to get to his next destination, which was Saudi Arabia. He needs to be able to do his job effectively. In any case, how much are we talking about?

One plane could cost between $10 and $15 million. Why don’t we investigate this properly? Was it fully paid for? An individual could buy a plane for Nigeria. The payment can be structured over 10 to 15 years.

These are propaganda campaigns by the same entities that want to destroy Nigeria. They are fighting back because the subsidy has been removed and the challenge of stealing from Nigeria has been addressed. I want to assure Nigerians that Tinubu’s economic reforms will bear fruit.