The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has told the Federal Government that Nigerians are tired of fasting, pleading for the introduction of a stimulus package rather than preaching austerity.
The former Lagos State Governor said this at the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in commemoration of his 69th birthday in Kano on Monday.
On the theme, ‘Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth: The Imperative of National Cohesion for Growth and Prosperity’, Tinubu said the United States had released a stimulus package of $1.9tn to its citizens and more was on the way, adding that such was the way to go.
He stated, “It is time to put stimulus in place. This is no time for austerity. I hope you listen carefully. This is not the time to constrain the economy. This is the time to create the opportunity.
“If you hear America spending $1.9tn and they are not looking back and they are still asking for $3tn for infrastructure and renewal and creating jobs and your own unemployment rate is 33 per cent and you ask us to keep on fasting. We are not fasting any more.
“We have been fasting for many years. I hope the National Assembly; I hope the President himself will not pay attention to austerity.”
Tinubu added that the high rate of unemployment had made banditry and terrorism attractive to the youths.
The APC chieftain, therefore, urged the Federal Government to recruit at least 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army to boost Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, banditry and all forms of internal and external security threats confronting the nation.
“We are under-policed and we are competing with armed robbers and bandits to recruit from the youths who are unemployed – 33 per cent unemployed?” Recruit 50 million youths into the army.” Tinubu said.
