Elder statesman and former two-term Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, yesterday argued that President Bola Tinubu met an empty treasury when he took over from President Muhammadu Buhari, explaining that the Nigerian leader will need to borrow to fill the gap in the meantime.
He said that Nigerians already experienced the worst of the economy in 2023 and therefore should look forward to a better standard of living in 2024.
Stressing that Tinubu was working hard to contain the widespread hardship in the land, the former journalist noted that Nigeria was almost crashing on May 29 when Tinubu took over the reins of government.
Osoba, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that in the last few days he had had meetings with the president, whom he insisted feels the pains Nigerians are currently going through.
“When the treasury was empty and the last administration was borrowing to pay salaries, the whole place was empty. What else can you do other than in the meantime, borrowing to fill the gap?
“That does not mean that the culture of borrowing will go on forever. You met an empty treasury. There was nowhere to turn other than to still engage in a bit of borrowing. After the first year in office, the whole thing will be reviewed and we will see.”
“Talking of borrowing, when your pocket is empty, you have to go to your bank to shore you up for some time. It depends on how you manage that situation.
