A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kola Ologbondiyan on Monday declared that the fuel subsidy removal is taking a toll on Nigerians.
Ologbondiyan told President Bola Tinubu’s administration that it would hurt Nigerians and his administration more.
He spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily while backing the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s latest position on the issue of fuel subsidy removal.
Atiku and Tinubu have been bickering over the issue of fuel subsidy removal, which the President implemented during his inauguration at the Eagle Square in 2023.
However, Ologbondiyan said: “Let me start on a very clean note, which is that nobody is returning Nigeria to the old system. Nobody is contemplating that, not the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Nobody is.
“I have always told the Tinubu administration to review the subsidy regime. I did declare that the removal of the subsidy would hurt Nigerians and the Tinubu administration more.
“So, what is Atiku talking about? Atiku is saying that if you look at the cost of production, from production to the end user, there must be areas that are reviewable in the hope of reducing the cost of production, in a manner that will enable end users to buy their products at a lower price, compared with the strangulating situation Nigerians are currently passing through.
“These are the issues, and not all these political arguments that I want to take you back to those times when they were doing corruption.
“Now, what is happening is that all the issues that were subsequently raised about the subsidy removal, have they been able to fulfil them? The situation has forced Nigerians and has brought everybody to their knees. So, what are we saying—that the situation is static, that it’s not reviewable?
“Atiku’s programme differs from what they are saying. I’m not sure they even have the patience to study what the man is proposing.
“They don’t have the patience to do that. We were buying fuel for about N200 or less before May 29, 2023, but today we are buying fuel for N1,300.
“I’m not good at mathematics, but those who are good at it have done the analysis and told us the percentage increase, which is taking a toll on Nigerians.
“So, I also find it laughable that Atiku said this in 2023 but is now changing his position. What do they take Nigerians for?
“Didn’t the President’s camp, before they came into office, campaign against subsidy removal? Didn’t they come into government on account of subsidy reforms? So, I don’t understand where they are coming from.”
Atiku: Fuel subsidy taking a toll on Nigerians – Ologbondiyan