Former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, on Friday led a delegation of his 1999 peers to meet President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where they urged the President to shift focus from short-term palliatives to long-term economic solutions through rural security and job-creating cottage industries.
Naijaonpoint reports that the visit marked the second time the “Class of ’99” governors elected at the dawn of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic would jointly meet with Tinubu since he assumed office in 2023. Their first meeting was held shortly after his inauguration on July 12, 2023.
Speaking to reporters after the closed-door meeting, Igbinedion said the delegation raised critical issues bordering on security, the economy, and agriculture, stressing that peace in rural communities was foundational to national development.
“The first and foremost thing is security, because we told him that without security there can be no progress, no stability,” he said.
Igbinedion, who served as Edo State governor from 1999 to 2007, criticised the overreliance on palliatives to cushion the effects of economic hardship, arguing that job creation through local industries would provide more sustainable relief to the masses.
He said, “We employed on him to try as much as possible to create cottage industries in all the local governments of the Federation where people can be employed.
“If you give palliative to somebody today, what happens tomorrow? If he has ₦5,000 in the morning, what about lunchtime or dinnertime? What is he going to do? ₦5,000 cannot buy much.”
Igbinedion described the meeting as a “heart-to-heart” discussion, disclosing that Tinubu agreed with the proposals and promised to look into them.
Beyond security, the delegation stressed the importance of stabilising the naira and boosting local production, saying these measures would reduce inflation and improve access to basic goods.
“The economy needs to be stabilised by ensuring the foreign exchange remains stable and people can afford [basic goods],” Igbinedion added.
The Class of ’99, which produced Tinubu as Lagos Governor, remains one of the most politically influential in Nigeria’s history. Many of its members have since held national roles.
Among them are:
Abdullahi Adamu, former APC National Chairman
Ahmed Makarfi, ex-PDP Chairman
George Akume, now Secretary to the Government of the Federation