Elder statesman and South-South leader Chief Edwin Clark has advised President Bola Tinubu to give palliative care first priority in order to address problems brought on by the elimination of fuel subsidies.
In an interview with NAN on Thursday in Abuja, Clark announced the decision.
According to NAN, Tinubu announced the withdrawal of fuel subsidies during his inaugural speech on May 29. This caused the price of gasoline at the pump to increase from N194 to above N500, with differences between states.
The administration had made the right decision, according to Clark, who praised the president for eliminating the subsidies.
“They made the proper decision. After all, eliminating gasoline subsidies was something that every candidate fought for and pledged to do before the general election in 2023.
“Everyone thought it was a fraud; it is not real. How has the Nigerian common man profited from the oil subsidy, and where are these nameless persons to whom we are paying it?
Remember that the Jonathan-led administration tried to get rid of it in January 2012, yet the very individuals and leaders who opposed it then are now saying it must go, according to Clark.
The removal of the fuel subsidy, he continued, was an extremely audacious move by President Tinubu.
Some people think that since Tinubu discussed the loss of subsidies throughout his campaign and in his manifesto, he should have planned how to offer the palliative to mitigate the harm, he added.
According to Clark, government employees are aware that gasoline subsidies have never been in their best interests and that spending trillions of naira on them is inappropriate.
He asserted that the country’s transportation, education, and health sectors would benefit greatly from the funding, and that “we would have a better Nigeria.”
“They should work it out now that a committee has been formed with participation from all parties.” (NAN)