Fuel subsidy and the Nigeria government's hypocrisy. - Chikeluba

President Buhari and GMD NNPC, Mele Kyari. 
Source: pmnewsnigeria


Every Nigerian of age must have heard about the word "Subsidy". It was popularized in the media in 2012, when the entertainer and popular singer Flavor performed a song titled "Nigeria ebezina". This musical track was prompted by the sudden rise in price of the premium motor spirit (PMS), owing to the policy of the then President Goodluck Jonathan's administration that removed subsidy from the petroleum sector in the beginning of the new year 2012. 

At that time, most people came to understand that the federal government was all along paying subsidy in order to keep the prices of fuel stable and affordable for citizens.

Subsidy was introduced in the petroleum sector in the 1970's by the Gowon administration as a palliative to cushion the landing cost of petroleum products delivered to refineries.

Since then, successive governments have continued the payment, throwing the nation into poverty and debt.

Following the defeat of the Goodluck administration in the 2015 polls, President Muhammadu Buhari, who had during his campaign alleged that the Goodluck's administration was fraudulently paying subsidy began making the payment himself.

The Buhari administration has paid the highest amount of money for subsidy from available data supplied from official sources. That's ironical for a man who dismissed subsidy claim by his predecessor. 

The 2023 presidential campaign had most aspirants proposing subsidy removal as one of the cardinal measures their administration would take in order to surmount the challenges facing the Nigerian State, but as usual the crux remains the willingness to walk the talk. 

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