The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his bold and audacious steps in removing subsidies and ensuring that market forces determine the exchange rates and not the government.
Governor Abiodun said the bold move by the President is already paying off with the downward trend in the prices of food, fuel, and inflation, especially during the month of Ramadan.
Prince Abiodun, who stated this during the Special Iftar (Breaking of Fast) with the League of Imams and Alfas at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, the governor noted that it is the first time in the history of Nigeria that prices of foodstuffs and other Commodities and products are coming down during the month of Ramadan.
“Recently, I was commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for doing what other presidents before him couldn’t do.
“On your first day in office, you removed the subsidy. Subsequently, regarding the issue of exchange rates, some will buy it at different rates; you removed the hand of the government and said that market forces must henceforth determine the rate of exchange, and because of that, there is now a convergence of exchange rates. Everybody in Nigeria now has one exchange rate.
“Looking at it, 20 to 22 months down the road, to the glory of God, with your wisdom, tenacity, far-sightedness, and your Renewed Hope Initiative, this is the first time in the history of this country that we will be fasting while the cost of foodstuffs is coming down.
“The prices of food items are actually on a downward trend. Exchange rates have been stable over the last 15-16 months and predictable.
“Inflation, which we were all afraid of, is also coming down. The price of petrol is also coming down every week. I congratulate him for this feat,” he said.
The governor also said that the religious tolerance being enjoyed in the state is the handiwork of faith leaders in building righteous paths for the faithful and the youths through inspiring messages of hope, love, and peace.
He noted that the state has not had any form of crisis related to religious intolerance since he became governor in 2019.
He said that the League of Imams and Alfas has played a significant role in ensuring that youths in the state are well-behaved, making it possible for his administration to continue to govern without any form of disturbance.
He added that the messages of the clerics have helped soften the hearts of many youths in the state and have also made them partners in the developmental drive of his government.
“We’ve enjoyed religious tolerance in Ogun State; we have not had any form of crisis related to religious intolerance. Christians are doing their own, Muslims are doing their own. We are all doing things together.
“As you speak to our children in the mosques, it goes through their ears, their bodies, and it makes them behave in the right way. That is what has allowed those of us in government to conduct the business of governance very well without any form of disturbance because without peace, we won’t be able to govern; without peace, there won’t be any meaningful development in the state.
“I want to thank our grand chief imams and all the imams and alfas that are here for preaching peace, for guiding our youths, for mentoring them, and ensuring that they are well-behaved, ensuring that there is religious tolerance across all the religions in Ogun State. This has greatly contributed to our socio-economic development as a state,” he said.
Governor Abiodun also promised that the Secretariat for the League of Imams and Alfas, which his administration has promised to build, would be constructed and commissioned before the expiration of his term.
The Asiwaju Adeen of Ogun State, Alhaji Shamsudeen Adebayo Apelogun, commended the governor for creating an enabling environment for religious tolerance in the state.
