President Bola Tinubu has admitted that Nigeria is indeed facing hardship while questioning past Nigerian leaders that “how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?”

At a meeting with the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Tinubu emphasised his commitment to serving the country, not personal gain.

In a statement on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, President’s Special Adviser Information and Strategy, the presidency was quoted to have said, “I didn’t come to exploit or enrich myself; I’m here to work.”

Thanking the Forum members for their support and encouragement across party lines, Tinubu urged continued unity and collaboration to achieve national development goals, citing the importance of inclusiveness and financial structure in driving progress.

“Regardless of past differences, you believe in me and our vision. I thank you. No one can do it better than us,” he said, drawing from his global experiences.

The meeting, attended by 16 former presiding officers, demonstrates President Tinubu’s willingness to engage stakeholders in achieving Nigeria’s development goals.”Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?”

“We neglected our communities; we neglected the goose that lays the golden eggs; we forgot even to give them a good standard of living.

”We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.

”We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience,” he said.

The President outlined his administration’s focus on addressing these challenges, including improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources and providing energy security.”We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our best,” he said.

He urged the former presiding officers to continue sharing their wealth of experience in nation-building and governance, noting that they were uniquely positioned to provide “clear interpretations of where we are” to Nigerians.

Senator Nnamani, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, expressed full support for President Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.