Umahi, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency
of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, decried what he described as a growing culture
of negativity and public condemnation of Nigeria.

“I feel so sad when people de-market the country both
outside and inside Nigeria, cursing without knowledge.

“This is because a job is very easy when you are not the one
doing it. Let there be a rethink.

“We are all journeying through this life, and there is a
need to have lasting treasures beyond this life by putting Nigeria first, by
being your brother’s keeper, by doing things with the fear of God.

“I wonder that when our people go outside the country, they
suffer more; they pass through all kinds of humiliations and oppression; they
work sometimes for 19 hours, and they obey all the rules.

“But when they come here, they break all the rules. That is
not good; let us have hope here. This is the only country you can make 100 per
cent doing a job, whereas you can’t make more than 10 per cent outside the
country,” he said.

According to him, there are lots of opportunities in
Nigeria, stressing, however, that people would not see the light if they
decided to close their eyes.

He urged Nigerians to be optimistic, forward-looking and
have love for themselves because approaching issues with bitterness and being
unappreciative would not do anybody any good.

“There is a saying that ‘forgiveness sets the captive free’,
and when you are forgiven, you will find out that you were the captive.

“So let us work with the fear of God and support our
government, and of course, engage in constructive criticism. Nigeria is great
again.”

Umahi praised President Bola Tinubu’s resilience and
commitment in the face of what he described as a terrible economic situation
inherited from the previous administration.

He said that the president’s refusal to complain publicly
was a mark of leadership courage.

Umahi said as a governor, he knew what the Tinubu
administration inherited, explaining that everything became a priority for him,
and the burden of debt became so terrible.

“In fact, when I saw the capital projects, I never knew that
the debt servicing is drawn from the capital projects, and that is where the
problem is.

“So there have been a lot of debts that are kept, and these
debts were not used for infrastructure development; otherwise, it would have
been a catalyst for development. So it is very important to know that what we
inherited was so terrible.

“Everything became a priority, but we shall overcome this.
Even our fuel was sold in advance, but it is a matter of courage, and that is
why the president is not complaining, but we shall overcome it,” the minister
said.

According to him, all the indices show that the reforms are
‘breathing very well,’ noting that inflation has dropped and that the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) growth is over 4.23 per cent, while the foreign reserve
has climbed over 42 per cent.

“So all the indices are breathing well, and the worst is
over, in the words of the president, and the darkest part of the morning is the
dawn. The macroeconomy is doing very well.

“Also, the commitment and infrastructure development are
going to cure the seeming hunger because it is going to trickle down to
macroeconomy, and that will be a win-win for this nation.

“For me, the president has taken back the nation for us. So
forget about the noisemakers. They will always be people making noise, and I
will suggest that our generation should also try to work even harder than our
forefathers.

“Hard work pays; it is very, very important. Even the Bible
professes that he that doesn’t work should not eat,” the minister stated.