Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman and South-South Leader, has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritise the provision of palliatives to mitigate the challenges posed by the removal of fuel subsidies.
Clark made the announcement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29, raising the pump price of fuel from N194 to over N500 in most states.
Clark, who praised the president for removing the subsidy, stated that the government had done the right thing.
“They have done the right thing. After all, all the candidates before the 2023 general election had advocated and promised to remove fuel subsidy.
“Everybody regarded it as a scam; it does not exist. Where are these faceless people we are paying the oil subsidy to, how has it benefited the ordinary man in Nigeria?
“Remember in January 2012, the Jonathan-led administration attempted to remove it, but the very people and leaders who opposed it at that time have now turned round to say yes it must go,” said Clark.
He added that removing the fuel subsidy was a very bold step taken by President Tinubu.
“Some people believe that since Tinubu was talking about subsidy removal during his campaign and also in his manifesto, he should have strategised how to provide the palliative to cushion the effect,” he said.
Clark explained that government workers understood that fuel subsidy had never been in their favour, adding that spending trillions of naira on fuel subsidy is unacceptable.
The South-south leader stated that, if the subsidy is spent on the country’s transportation, education and health sectors, life will be much better. “We will have a better Nigeria,” he added.
“Now that a committee has been set up, where all parties will be involved, they should work it out.”
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