President Bola Tinubu may give all the explanations in the world about fuel subsidy which he removed in 2024. Nobody is believing any of that. For one thing, there’s hunger in the land, and most Nigerians still attribute the present suffering to fuel subsidy removal.
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Speaking at the Presidential Villa yesterday, Tinubu – like always – began to praise himself for having guts big enough to remove the money pit. He said another thing, too.
Before he assumed office in May 29, 2024 – the president said – Nigeria was at the verge of collapsing had he not acted fast and cancel the subsidy. According to him, 27 states were already handicapped, completely unable to pay workers salaries. The president was reacting to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s confused comment that he would reinstate fuel subsidy if he were elected president in 2027.
“I saw one of my opponents (Atiku) now saying he would go back to subsidies.
“That is a demonstration of serious ignorance in governance and economy. Before I came here, 27 states were unable to pay salaries of workers. Not to talk of pensioners.
“But now, states are no longer owing salaries of workers and pensioners, courtesy of subsidy removal,” Tinubu said.
Its true that the monthly allocations for state and local governments have been substantially increased across the country. But the impacts are yet to be translated the kind of realities the people could understand.
In fact, going by what Tinubu said, the focus are mainly on the organised labour which, of course, represents but a fraction of hundreds of millions of hungry citizens.
Its true that the monthly allocations for state and local governments have been substantially increased across the country. But the impacts are yet to be translated the kind of realities the people could understand.
In fact, going by what Tinubu said, the focus are mainly on the organised labour who, of course, represents but a fraction of hundreds of millions of innocent citizens who go hungry due to hike in fuel price.