Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has defended the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, saying Nigerians are reacting negatively because they are used to “getting easy money” without working hard.

Speaking with 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 but urged citizens to be patient, insisting that the benefits of the ongoing economic reforms will become evident in the coming years.

“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 praised Tinubu’s bold moves, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates, calling them 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 criticised the culture of unearned wealth, pointing to practices such as 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.

[Punch]