Presidency Says No Plans To Remove Subsidy

Goodluck-Jonathan4

Contrary to the growing belief that the Federal Government will remove subsidy on oil totally and hence increase fuel pump price, the Presidency yesterday said it had no plans to remove oil subsidy.

In a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Dr Doyin Okupe, in Abuja, the presidency made it clear that despite President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent remark concerning subsidy, the administration, as a matter of policy, had no plans in that direction.

Dr Okupe, who said the President was mindful of the reactions and plight of Nigerians, also maintained that sufficient allocation for fuel subsidy has already been made in the 2013 budget “therefore there is no cause for alarm on removal of fuel subsidy.”

On March 20, at the Nigeria Economic Summit 2013 held in Lagos, President Goodluck Jonathan had unveiled a platform of economic development for the country predicated on full removal of fuel subsidy raising fear among many Nigerians, anger and disgust in several others.

Dr Okupe said the President’s remark at the Economic Summit in Lagos, “was a frank, intellectual and well-articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective”.

Doyin-Okupe

According to Dr Okupe, “the President and this administration are not insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian Masses and will continue to pursue and execute policies and programmes that are in the overall interest of majority of Nigerians and that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of our teeming population.”

“It is an undeniable fact that every responsible leadership, genuine stakeholder and patriot must be worried when a nation spends about N1 trillion, an equivalent of about 20 per cent of the national budget, on subsidy paid out to a few companies and enjoyed in the main by very few elites, while the common man benefits only minimally.”

“Contrary to the speculation in the media and assumption by certain groups within the polity, we wish to state categorically that, the removal of oil subsidy is not on the table of the Transformation Agenda of the President. The statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the recent Economic Summit held in Lagos was a frank, intellectual and well articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective,” Okupe said.

“Finally, for the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of being repetitive, this administration is not considering the issue of removal of fuel subsidy in the nearest future and certainly will not embark on any such programme without extensive consultations and engagements across the various segments, interests and stakeholders in the Nigerian polity,” he said.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Stupid and idiot MR president, u cnt neva calim our voting with al dis rubbish u are saying from mouth. You hav turn a country dat is been by God to fear and suffering Country, al i kw is dat God wil Jugde u if no man cn jugde u,just wait and take ur jugdment in hell. In Nigeria nw pple die like goat.infact d rate in which pple die is higher than any other animal. BOKO HARAM is nw a big fear in everyones minds. I kw b4 any civil war 2 raise in Nigeria God might hav remove u from dat post by any means IJN.

  2. one thing with the mentality of some Nigerians is that they dont know what it takes to be a leader. All their minds goes on money and power but even if you give them that money and power they wont know how to control themselves not to talk about leading others. so it is now a bad thing that Jonathan did to anounce that he is not removing subsidy. it is this same critics calling him names that will kill him with their mouth if he removes subsidy. if you think that Jonathan’s administration is not trying in security, why not go and fight boko haram by your self.

  3. We had dictators ovr d yrs dat tak decision on dier own evn wen dey were wisdom deficient. ‘GEJ’ a man dat truly had d ppl at heart hz com 2 uncover tinz dat were once secrets. Let b vry frank, it’ll tak som decades 4 pwr 2 return 2 d north. Abuse GEJ, Cartoon, sponsor terrorist or build premium time on space, d truth remain dat 3yrs f johnathan services is best wen compare 2 38yrs f northern dictatorship. Only d ignorant swim in d wave-lenth of APC n Premium Time. Anti-jonathan!