Vice President Kashim Shettima has defended the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, acknowledging the hardship they have imposed on Nigerians while insisting that the results are beginning to emerge, as he urged Cross River voters to renew the mandate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Shettima spoke at the APC Presidential Campaign Rally at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, where he compared Tinubu’s leadership approach to that of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, whose policies helped transform the Asian nation from a struggling former colony into a major global financial and trading hub.
Drawing lessons from Singapore’s development experience, the Vice President argued that national transformation requires leaders willing to confront difficult realities and make decisions with long term consequences, even when such decisions initially cause discomfort.
He acknowledged that the Federal Government’s policies had brought hardship to citizens but maintained that the emerging results offered reasons to sustain the reform process.
Using the Singapore experience to explain the administration’s approach, Shettima urged Nigerians to assess the government’s policies against the country’s condition when Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
He also described Cross River as a politically significant state whose support for the APC should translate into stronger federal engagement and development opportunities.
Shettima called on the electorate to renew the mandates of Tinubu, Governor Bassey Edet Otu, Deputy Governor Peter Odey and APC candidates contesting legislative seats in the 2027 elections.
He said the party was seeking another opportunity to continue its programmes, stressing that elected officials must return to the people with an account of their stewardship and plans that justify public trust.
Turning to Cross River’s economic prospects, Governor Bassey Edet Otu highlighted major federal projects which he said could reshape the state’s economic future, including the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport and the proposed location of the Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat in Calabar.
Otu said the coastal highway would improve connectivity, facilitate the movement of goods and people, boost tourism and attract investments, while the proposed deep seaport could establish Cross River as an international maritime gateway and create employment opportunities.
He also identified the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat as a potential driver of international engagement, hospitality, tourism and commercial activities in the state.
The governor maintained that Cross River must translate its political relevance into concrete development gains, urging residents to support the APC at all levels in 2027.
He further pointed to federal education financing initiatives, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, as opportunities to ease the financial burden on parents and expand access to tertiary education for young people.
Governor Otu said the projects and interventions offered opportunities for economic growth and human capital development, adding that cooperation between the state and Federal Government remained important to achieving the state’s aspirations.
The rally brought together APC leaders, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governors of Edo ,Bayelsa ,Akwa-Ibom members of the National Assembly, party officials ex governors and other political stakeholders.
Both Shettima and Otu used the occasion to appeal for renewed electoral support, with the Vice President defending the administration’s economic direction and the governor emphasising the potential benefits of federal infrastructure and development initiatives for Cross River.
