Friday, May 30, 2025
  • REPORT A STORY
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT
WITHIN NIGERIA
  • Home
  • Features
  • News Picks
  • Entertainment
  • MORE
    • Gist
    • Articles
    • Videos
No Result
View All Result
WITHIN NIGERIA
  • Home
  • Features
  • News Picks
  • Entertainment
  • MORE
    • Gist
    • Articles
    • Videos
No Result
View All Result
WITHIN NIGERIA
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
  • News Picks
  • Entertainment
  • MORE
[adinserter block="17"]

Fuel price: Lai Mohammed explains why Buhari compared Nigeria with Saudi Arabia

by Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo
October 4, 2020
in National
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
0
Honorable Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

Honorable Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

Despite the outrage and criticisms, the Federal Government insists that the comparison made by the President, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on fuel prices between Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and other countries in his 2020 Independence Day national broadcast is justified.

This submission was made known by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed when he featured on a Radio Nigeria current affairs programme, “Radio Link’’ on Saturday in Abuja.

Recall that President Buhari said in his Independence Day broadcast that “we sell petrol at N161 per litre when same is sold at N168 per litre in Saudi Arabia; N211 per litre in Egypt; N362 per litre in Ghana; N362 per litre in Chad, and N346 per litre in Niger Republic.

“It does not make sense for petrol to be cheaper in Nigeria than Saudi Arabia,’’

READ ALSO

INTERVIEW: My Reason For Writing “A COUNTRY IN TEARS”—Enugu-based writer explains

OSINACHI: Refusal of governors to sign death sentence makes justice blurry in Nigeria

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Story Of How Banks, ATM Charges Worsen Nigerians’ Economic Woes

TRIBUTE: Doyin Okupe: Son Of Banker Who Laced Medical Profession, Journalism, Politics With Great Efficiency

DSS Lagos Assembly Invasion, Osun State Violence, IBB’s Autobiography: Events That Shaped February

Barely minutes after President Buhari rounded up his broadcast, some Nigerians criticised the president for making such comparison without considering the minimum wage, standard of living and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in particular.

Reacting to the outrage and criticisms from Nigerians, the information minister said there was nothing wrong in making such a comparison.

“Some people have said why should we compare ourselves to Saudi Arabia with better infrastructure and higher wages.

“Our answer to that is very simple. Saudi Arabia has 34 million people while Nigeria has 200 million people.

“Saudi Arabia produces 10 million barrels of crude oil per day, while Nigeria produces at its best, 2.1 million barrel per day.

“Their population is about one-sixth of Nigeria’s population and they are blessed with more resources.

“Therefore, they can afford to pay higher wages and build infrastructure.

“Our argument must be put in proper perspective.

“As we have said, whatever money we make from the subsidy removal, we will invest in infrastructure development’’ he said.

The minister commended organised labour for its understanding and patriotism in suspending its planned strike to protest the fuel price deregulation and the electricity tariff adjustment.

He noted that the suspension of the strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and their affiliates averted a “national calamity’’.

Mohammed said after spending sleepless nights engaging with organised labour, the two congresses agreed with the government that the fuel deregulation was inevitable.

“The moment we lost as much as 60 per cent of our earnings and suffered a kind of shock in crude oil prices, we must deregulate.

“Between 2006 and 2019 we paid N10.413 trillion in fuel subsidies; an average of N743.8 billion per annum,’’ he lamented.

“The country right now cannot afford the subsidy regime,’’ the minister stressed.

RELATED STORYPosts

National

INTERVIEW: My Reason For Writing “A COUNTRY IN TEARS”—Enugu-based writer explains

by Nnadi Christopher Ikechukwu
May 27, 2025
Late gospel singer Osinachi and husband Mr Nwachukwu
National

OSINACHI: Refusal of governors to sign death sentence makes justice blurry in Nigeria

by uncledee
April 29, 2025

Discussion about this post

POPULAR THIS WEEK

No Content Available
No Content Available
WITHIN NIGERIA

WITHIN NIGERIA MEDIA LTD.

NEWS, MULTI MEDIA

WITHIN NIGERIA is an online news media that focuses on authoritative reports, investigations and major headlines that springs from National issues, Politics, Metro, Entertainment; and Articles.

Follow us on social media:

CORPORATE LINKS

  • About
  • Contacts
  • Report a story
  • Advertisement
  • Content Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
 
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Ethics Policy
  • Corrections Policy
  • WHO IS WITHIN NIGERIA?
  • CONTACT US
  • PRIVACY
  • TERMS

© 2022 WITHIN NIGERIA MEDIA LTD. designed by WebAndName

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
  • News Picks
  • Entertainment
  • MORE
    • Gist
    • Articles
    • Videos

© 2022 WITHIN NIGERIA MEDIA LTD. designed by WebAndName