Former presidential aide and Arise Television’s Morning Showanchor, Reuben Abati, has criticised the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount, saying the administration acted too late to provide relief to Nigerians.
Abati said the temporary nature of the intervention raised questions about what would happen after the 30-day period.
He also questioned the government’s continued borrowing despite its decision to remove the petrol subsidy, which was partly justified as a measure to increase revenue and curb corruption.
DAILY POST reports that the Federal Government announced a 30-day petrol discount as part of efforts to provide relief to Nigerians amid concerns over fuel prices and the rising cost of living.
Speaking on Friday, Abati said the government needed to explain how the proposed discount would be funded and who would bear the cost.
He added that the government’s continued borrowing had raised concerns about the expected financial benefits of subsidy removal.
The broadcaster called on the government to publish details of its price modulation plan, including the funding arrangements and the parties responsible for bearing the cost of the intervention.
He maintained that the proposal had left several questions unanswered, arguing that the administration could have introduced the intervention earlier.
Abati said: “The other issue is that it is temporary, okay, for 30 days. After 30 days, what happens?
“And then, you know, the other contradiction is that when the subsidy was removed, the government said part of the reason was to save revenue and curb corruption.
“But the same administration has been borrowing on a large scale since then, and people have been asking: If you remove the subsidy to generate more revenue, how are we now in this kind of situation?
“There is still a lot to be said, but the government still needs to take a step further and publish the details of the price modulation plan, including who is going to pay and who is going to bear the cost of all this.
“There are more questions than answers in what has been proposed. But in terms of intention, I’ve said that the government woke up too late to say that it wants to help the people.
“We could have done this much earlier, and other people would not see it as an opportunity to attack the administration.”