The decision by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to end fuel subsidy has thrown more Nigerians into poverty in the last two months and unless Tinubu and his handlers rethink and have a backup plan, the government could fail and risk losing the confidence of Nigerians.
According to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in this year’s presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, it is not too late for the government to take measures to redress the situation.
Adebayo took a swipe at those criticising fuel subsidy removal because of the backlash, despite being in support of the policy earlier, describing them as hypocrites.
He said: “Those who supported anyone or platform that promised petrol subsidy removal from day one, but now condemning the removal are hypocritical. Once you agree to throw a five-year-old child from the 10th floor of a building, you cannot be surprised the child broke the limbs.
“When we talk about hypocrisy, it didn’t start with the labour unions; it started with Tinubu himself, who opposed former President Goodluck Jonathan when he had a smaller amount of subsidy adjustment. And all of them went on the streets against it. But when they came to power, they went in the opposite direction.”
On the proposed N8,000 palliative to some indigent families, Adebayo said it would amount to waste since the money would be valueless, noting that throwing money at the people the way the government was planning would only bring about inflation where too much money would be chasing too few goods.
