Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, suggesting that Nigerians’ negative reactions stem from being accustomed to “getting easy money” without hard work.
Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly complex on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the former Abia State Governor and Senate Chief Whip acknowledged the current hardship in the country.
However, he urged citizens to be patient, insisting that the benefits of the ongoing economic reforms will become evident in the coming years.
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“Let me be honest with you. I’m a businessman, not a politician. There are only a few things that are not happening. The indices of Mr. President’s policies might not be working down the line. People are still suffering — yes, I agree with that. But it has started trickling in at the macro level — that is, at the upper level, not the lower level.
“So I’m hoping that in the next two to three years, the President’s policies will trickle down, and Nigerians will appreciate what he’s doing,” he said.
Kalu lauded Tinubu’s bold decisions, such as the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates, describing them as unprecedented since Nigeria’s independence.
“Since 1960, this is the first President — and I have the facts — who stopped the fuel subsidy. This is the first President who merged the dollar rates. That is why we are suffering — because Nigerians are not used to working hard. We’re used to getting easy money.
“People used to sit in their houses, use their phones, get dollars, and sell at very high rates,” he said
He further criticized the culture of unearned wealth, specifically pointing to practices like currency speculation and profiteering through tank farms and government papers.
“People sit at home, use their tank farms, collect papers, and make money. This is one President who has said: ‘if you are ready to make money, do it the right way. If you’re not ready, then leave it,’” he added.
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