UPDATED: Look beyond present ‘temporary’ pains, Tinubu begs Nigerians

Nigerians are undergoing a shift from darkness to morning, President Bola Tinubu has urged, asking them to be patient with his administration.

Tinubu addressed the continued challenges caused by the elimination of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira in an official video broadcast by the State House on Wednesday.

He said that there was a "avoidable lag" between the termination of subsidies and his beneficial intentions for Nigeria, which made the suffering of the people there much worse.

"Fellow Nigerians, I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture. This period may be hard on us, and there's no doubt that it is tough." All of our helpful and excellent plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work. Sadly, there was an avoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully online.
I beseech you, please trust that we can fulfil our end of the bargain and that we care about your welfare. We'll get through this turmoil, and because of the steps we've made, Nigeria will be better prepared to benefit from the future that lies ahead of her.For instance, we will follow through on our commitment to lower the cost of education for everyone and to support students pursuing higher education with loans. There will be no Nigerian student forced to drop out of college for financial reasons.

"We are dedicated to advancing the greatest good for the largest possible number of our people. In theory, we won't ever fail. My dear citizens, I can promise you that a bright new dawn is upon us as we emerge from the shadows. I have to return to work now in order to realise my idea.
The president gave his word that the country would emerge from its protracted economic crisis thanks to the actions his administration has taking.

Since the start of the #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protests, Tinubu has spoken to Nigerians twice, including during this address.

In other states, including Kano, Abuja, and Kaduna, where protesters thought to be infiltrators were spotted brandishing Russian flags and demanding a military takeover, the demonstrations descended into violence.