Famous Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev Fr Chinenye Oluoma, has urged President Bola Tinubu to desist from his plan of sharing N8,000 to 12 million Nigerian household.
The clergyman described it as “puerile, penny wise pound foolish economics”.
He advised that the money should be used to provide palliative transportation for the masses and special groups like students and farmers while working on long-term plans.
Oluoma stated this in a post via his Facebook account on Monday.
The cleric, while praising the removal of fuel subsidy, opined that the funds should be invested into job creating ventures such as transportation and agriculture.
He wondered how the government could not see the futility and waste in sharing N8,000 monthly to poor households.
He wrote, “I am a supporter of the removal of fuel subsidy for obvious reasons. Aside from the demonic corruption in it, which every government have been powerless to exorcise, investing the money from subsidy into job-creating ventures like transportation and agriculture is the most important justification for its removal.
“Make buses available for commuters at local government levels, make special trucks available for the transportation of farm produce, or better still, work with commercial farmers to identify their regular transporters and subsidize fuel or diesel for their haulage vehicles and ensure they don’t add a kobo to what they charge farmers and traders.
“These are the most feasible, simple and practicable short-term measure that makes sense. How could the government not see the futility and waste in sharing “peanuts” to people who will finish the money in less than a week?
“It’s not even the case that you can trust those who will share the money to do it honestly and equitably. The corruption in fuel subsidy is child play compared to the one in sharing 8k to 12 million Nigerians. Government should please perish that idea, it is a puerile, penny-wise pound foolish economics.
“President Tinubu should not entertain this idea at all, he should use that money and provide “palliative transportation” vehicles for the masses and special groups like students and farmers while working on long-term plans.
”Sharing 8k is completely a ‘town hall’ economics NOT different from balablu and hullabaloo.”
