2023 Election : Netizens reacts as Tinubu and peter Obi vows to remove fuel subsidy if elected as president
If elected in next month’s elections, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has vowed to ensure that the subsidy is eliminated as intended by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
By June 30, 2023, the Federal Government will no longer be providing fuel subsidies.
This comes a few days after Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), also threatened to end the fuel subsidy if elected in February.
“They have removed it. That’s what they’ve done,”
He mentioned this while making a live appearance on Sunday’s episode of The People’s Townhall on Channels Television in Abuja.
But I can assure you, it will go immediately. Subsidy – I’ve said it before – is organised crime and I will not allow it to stay a day longer.”
“What they’re telling you is not what it is. Half of what is being mentioned is not subsidy. First is that we consume the quantity that is not supposed to be consumed here. We are the same population with Pakistan. They consume below 50 percent of what we consume.
“So, the first half, I will remove it and give those people who are drinking it water – because that’s what they’re supposed to drink – so we can save the money.”
Obi added that Nigeria is currently saddled by debt. He claims that Nigeria requires the funds in order to invest on important social development issues.
Look at this year’s budget: education, which is the highest since this government came, is about N2 trillion. Health, which is the highest since this government came, is about N1.5 trillion. Then infrastructure, which is roads and everything, is about N1 trillion.
These three critical development areas are receiving N4.5 trillion. Subsidy is N3.6 trillion – half year. So, if it’s a full year, it’s about N7 trillion. Which country will invest more in subsidy than education and health and even roads? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
