Williams Akpan, Calabar
Vice President Kashim Shettima has acknowledged the hardship caused by President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms but said the policies are beginning to produce results, urging Nigerians to sustain the administration’s development agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Shettima made the appeal at the APC presidential campaign rally held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, where he solicited the support of Cross River voters for Tinubu and other party candidates.
The Vice President maintained that the country’s economic transformation required difficult policy decisions, arguing that immediate discomfort should be considered alongside the long-term objectives of government reforms.
He cited Singapore’s development experience under its founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, as an example of how determined leadership and long-term policies could transform a struggling former colony into an international financial and trading hub.
According to the Vice President, the Singapore experience demonstrated that national development required leaders prepared to confront difficult realities and make decisions beyond immediate political considerations.
Shettima admitted that the Federal Government’s policies had brought hardship to citizens but insisted that the emerging results provided reasons to sustain the reform process.
He challenged Nigerians to assess the administration’s economic policies against the conditions prevailing when Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
Describing Cross River as a politically significant state, the Vice President said its relationship with the ruling party should translate into stronger federal engagement and opportunities for development.
He urged the electorate to renew the mandates of Tinubu, Governor Bassey Edet Otu, Deputy Governor Peter Odey and APC candidates seeking legislative offices in 2027.
Shettima said the party wanted another opportunity to continue its programmes, stressing that elected officials must account for their stewardship and present a convincing case for public confidence.
Earlier, Governor Otu identified major federal infrastructure projects as potential catalysts for economic growth and investment in Cross River.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport and the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat in Calabar among the initiatives capable of expanding the state’s economic opportunities.
Otu said the coastal highway would improve transportation networks, enhance the movement of goods and people, promote tourism and attract investments.
He added that the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport could position Cross River as an international maritime gateway, with opportunities for job creation and increased commercial activities.
The governor also highlighted the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as opportunities to expand international engagement, stimulate tourism and ease the financial burden of tertiary education on families.
The APC rally brought together thousands of party supporters across the state, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, governors of Edo, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states, National Assembly members, former governors, APC officials and other political stakeholders.
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