Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said President Bola Tinubu's removal of the petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira have increased resources available to the three tiers of government.

According to him, the decision, taken by Tinubu in 2023, was a courageous move, just as he praised the President for his sacrifices.

Otti spoke when he received Tinubu's wife, the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Abia State on Tuesday.

“I want to also plead with you to take our felicitations to His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

“I want you to please thank him. Thank him for his courage. Thank him for the sacrifices. Some people may not understand; it takes a man with courage to do what he did in 2023: remove petroleum subsidy and follow suit with the floating of the naira.”

“What has that done? That has freed up a lot of funds that would have been used in financing consumption to doing other things in the federal government, in the states, and in the local governments,” he said.

“And today, a lot of states are not owing salaries. A lot of states are able to build infrastructure. A lot of states are able to empower people to produce rather than consume.”

The governor admitted that the reforms caused hardship, but maintained they were essential for establishing a sustainable economic path.

“Now, make no mistakes about it: every courageous decision, every courageous action has its own consequences, so if you remove subsidy and if you float the naira, it will take its toll, and over time the economy will begin to correct,” he added.

“So what you see that people interpret as hardship today are a fallout of previous bad behaviour.”