Nigerians are not used to working hard. We are used to getting easy money – Orji Uzor Kalu defends Tinubu’s economic policies

Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said Nigerians are raising their voices against the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because they are used to getting easy money. 

The former Abia State Governor made the remarks on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 while speaking with journalists at the National Assembly complex.

Asked to appraise the economy under the present administration, the Chief Whip of the Senate, who acknowledged that Nigerians are suffering due to the economic reforms, claimed that the positive effects of the reforms would be felt in two years.

“Let me be honest with you. I’m a businessman, not a politician. There are only a few things that are not happening. The indices of Mr. President’s policies might not be working down the line. People are still suffering — yes, I agree with that. But it has started trickling in at the macro level — that is, at the upper level, not the lower level. So I’m hoping that in the next 2–3 years, the President’s policies will trickle down, and Nigerians will appreciate what he’s doing,” he said. 

“Since 1960, this is the first President — and I have the facts — who stopped the fuel subsidy. This is the first President who merged the dollar rates. That is why we are suffering — because Nigerians are not used to working hard. We’re used to getting easy money. People used to sit in their houses, use their phones, get dollars, and sell at very high rates.

“People sit at home, use their tank farms, collect papers, and make money. This is one President who has said: if you are ready to make money, do it the right way. If you’re not ready, then leave it.”