Vice President Kashim Shettima accused some individuals of undermining the Bola Tinubu administration.
On Tuesday, Kashim Shettima charged that certain groups were sabotaging the Bola Tinubu administration’s attempts to stabilize the economy.
He blamed politicians and smugglers who were unable to win elections for the current food crisis the nation is experiencing.
At the Public Wealth Management Conference on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr. Shettima disclosed this.
“Forces are hell-bent on plunging this country into a state of anarchy, those that could not get into power through the ballot box. Instead of waiting for 2027, they are so desperate; that this country can fall apart as far as they are concerned. But we are going to visit them,” the vice president said.
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“Just a few nights ago, 45 trucks of maize were caught being transported into a neighboring country. Just in that Ilela axis (Sokoto state), there are 32 illegal routes. At the moment when they were intercepted, the price of maize fell by N10,000, from N60,000 to N50,000.
“So there are forces that are hell-bent on undermining our nation but this is the time for us to come together,” he said.
Food costs have been steadily rising recently, which has greatly reduced the purchasing power of households all throughout the nation.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ most recent data, food inflation increased to 35.41 percent year over year in January 2024—a rise of 11.10 percentage points above the rate of 24.32 percent in January 2023.
Mr. Shettima voiced dismay at certain residents’ ongoing engagement in political disagreements rather than placing a higher priority on governance, even as he called for a shift from political fighting to efficient governance.
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The “practitioners of violence,” according to him, are pushing for Nigeria to follow in the footsteps of Lebanon or Venezuela. But he was upbeat, saying Nigeria is bigger than all of them and will survive the storm.
Speaking further, Mr. Shettima stated that as part of the effort to stabilize the economy, the federal government plans to raise $10 billion through the optimization of public assets.
According to him, the administration wants to double GDP growth in the nation over the next eight years in addition to stabilizing the value of the national currency.
“The Federal Government set a goal to raise at least $10 Billion in order to increase foreign exchange liquidity, a key ingredient to stabilize the Naira and grow the economy,” he stated.
The reorganized Ministry of Finance Incorporated, which was given charge of managing these assets, will now assume a major role, he said.
