Be patient with Tinubu’s reforms, minister urges Nigerians

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, on Tuesday appealed to Nigerians not to take to the street in protest as the president is restructuring the country.

He made the appeal during an interview with journalists shortly after unveiling the Thompson Abayomi Oshin Physiotherapy Building donated to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Alausa, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event, lauded the gesture of the donor, who also turned 98 years.

He further appealed to all Nigerians to emulate the physiotherapist and his family in supporting the government in its Renewed Hope Agenda.

“There is no need for anyone to take to the street in protest because President Bola Tinubu is restructuring the country bottom up in a very strategic manner. In a matter of few years, Nigerians will not need to ‘japa’ or think of leaving the country as many of the ongoing reforms would have been yielding the desired results.

“Let me talk to Nigerians about the people saying they want to protest. There’s no need to protest. We have a president, President Bola Tinubu, who is restructuring this country bottom up in a very strategic manner. The president has done so many things that no president in the history of Nigeria in the last 45 years.

“The president, when he came in, he spoke to Nigerians on May 29 at the inauguration day, he said ‘I will not deceive you Nigerians. I’m here to serve you, I’m your servant. I’ll be honest with you in everything I do’ and that’s why the president took the bull by the horns. Rome was not built in a day.

“We have to take difficult decisions for a better tomorrow. For the future of our children and that’s what this president has done, President Tinubu. You know what happened to our exchange rate. Scam going on for decades. The president fixed it. We were subsidising fuel with money that we didn’t have, no president for fear of it’s not politically right, they just didn’t do it,” he said.

According to him, the President knows what he has to do to set the country on the part of sustainability.

“Now you talk about banditry, security is better in the country now. Are we where we want to be? No, but significantly better, roads are being constructed all over the country,” he said.

He said by the time all the efforts and foundation of development being laid for the country begins to materialise, citizens of the country will not want to go out and seek any greener pastures elsewhere.

Speaking on the project, Chairman, Thompson Abayomi Oshin Foundation, Segun Oshin, said they embarked on the project to honour him in response to a request from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

“What motivated this, our father is the first ever African Physiotherapist and he started the Physiotherapist training in Nigeria. So, we are children of a very well renowned physiotherapist and even at the College of Medicine, UI, he was the one that started the department and so when the College came to the family to ask to support the building that would enhance the development of physiotherapist and will support the idea of moving physiotherapy from a Department to a Faculty, we supported the idea and we tried our best.”