The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has alleged some saboteurs are frustrating President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standard of Nigerians.
The lawmaker explained that the saboteurs have been identified and put on the watchlist, saying the government would soon swoop on them for arrest and possible prosecution.
Bamidele said the ‘evil genius saboteurs’ were determined to undermine all efforts being made by the current administration towards putting Nigeria on progressives path of all-round socio-economic growth and development.
Speaking with newsmen in his Iyin-Ekiti country home in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Tuesday, the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the activities of the saboteurs were undermining President Tinubu’s intervening efforts to revamp the country’s economy by manipulating the foreign exchange market (forex) for their personal gains.
Bamidele noted it was hurting the manufacturing and other productive sectors as they lack access to the forex needed to import raw materials, spare parts, and machines.
He added that it was unfortunate that those who felt President Tinubu’s revolutionary economic policies would affect them adversely were working hard to sabotage them, by all means, to protect their selfish interests to the detriment of Nigerians.
He stated that the Federal Government, will, from next year, clamp down on the economic saboteurs as they are already on the watchlist, saying Nigeria would not succumb to the destructive tendency of the profiteers.
According to him, “This administration is also going after saboteurs especially those who are doing everything viciously possible to keep dollar so high against our naira and those who are making naira unavailable. It has gotten to a level where the federal government has to go after the so-called saboteurs and punish them. All of these would happen in the new year.
“We know that in the long run, those who are trying to mop up naira and dollar in the street so that prices can go up and those who are speculating are definitely on the watch list of the government and at some point the government would go after them. But beyond that, there is hope on the horizon for Nigerians.”
Bamidele admitted that Nigerians were experiencing hardship due to the subsidy removal on oil coupled with activities of the saboteurs, saying there was light at the end of the tunnel as President Tinubu was uncompromisingly resolute in his determination to bring succour to the citizens.
He assured Nigerians that the economy and other critical sectors will bloat into shape with holistic implementation of the 2024 budget, saying in the next few months Nigerians would heave a sigh of relief.
He urged Nigerians not to lose hope in President Tinubu’s leadership, saying “he has a strong conviction that the number one helmsman would turn the situation of things around for good in the country like he did in Lagos.
“There is no doubt that 2024 is going to witness transformation in our economy. I’m pained about circumstances of our people and what they are going through at the moment but I’m more joyous and excited about immediate bright future that is following this because I know that in Nigeria will laugh again,” he said.
On the 2024 budget proposal, Bamidele maintained that the Senate would meet the December 30, 2023 deadline set for passage of the N27.5 trillion budgetary estimate.
He added that the National Assembly is working assiduously to ensure that the 2024 budget proposal laid before it was passed before the end of the year with a view to sustaining January to December budget implementation cycle.
The Senate Leader said that the Senate would resume plenary on Wednesday for the harmonisation of reports of various committees and subsequent processing of the appropriation bill for passage by joint session of the National Assembly.
“We are determined to pass the budget proposal before the end of the year in order to sustain the January-December budget cycle. The implication is that our economy can take off early and private sectors could draw their business plan for the year because they depend largely on patronage from government.
“Our hope and determination is to pass the 2024 budget proposal by December 2023 so that by December 1, 2024, Mr President would have a bill at his desk for assent. To achieve this, we have been sitting beyond the legislative days. We’re sitting on Saturday and Sunda. And also we have only given ourselves three to celebrate Christmas so as to meet the deadline”.
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