The former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has slammed the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari for failing to remove fuel subsidy while in office.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, announced in his inaugural speech that an end has come to fuel subsidy, adding that there is no provision for it in the budget.
Following the announcement, the cost of petrol sky-rocketed with some fuel stations selling for as much as N700 while the NNPC adjusted its official rates to reflect the current realities.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Daniel commended President Bola Tinubu for being bold to put an end to the petroleum subsidy regime.
The Senator-elect representing Ogun East District stated that paying for subsidy had become unsustainable and a fact “everybody” is aware of.
Daniel also stressed that the subsidy is not just for Nigerians, as petroleum products are illegally smuggled from Nigeria to other neighbouring West African countries.
He said, “The thing I want our people to appreciate is that everybody has come to appreciate that the subsidy was not sustainable. But nobody was bold enough, not even the outgoing president; he just said it would go after he had left.
“And somebody has come and said, let us stop deceiving ourselves. Another thing I have noticed, but which many people have not spoken about, is that the biggest problem with the subsidy is that we are not just subsidising Nigerians but West Africa.
“And I do not see how that is sustainable anyway. If there is no way of ensuring it stays within the shores of Nigeria, then, which is also part of the problem of smuggling, then clearly, we cannot continue to subsidise the entire West African sub-region. We do not have such capacity.”
