The immediate past Minister of State on Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, on Wednesday, hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for removing fuel subsidy, saying the removal was done in the interest of Nigeria to avoid total collapse of the nation’s economy.
Adegoroye who stated this in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Ebenezer Adeniyan, noted that fuel subsidies have proven to be unsustainable over time, saying that fuel subsidy comes at a huge cost to the economy.
The former minister said with the step taken by President Tinubu, has shown his commitment to serve Nigeria with honesty and integrity, as the fuel subsidies have proven to be unsustainable.
He maintained that the fuel subsidy was necessary in order to free Nigeria from the looming economic crisis, noting that the country had sunk trillion of Naira into subsidising fuel which could have been used for the development of the country
According to him, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu demonstrated his sincerity and forthrightness to move Nigeria forward, to be true to Nigeria when he stated before the general elections that fuel subsidy will go once he becomes President.
“He even went on to say that no matter how long Nigerians demonstrate, subsidy is a cankerworm that has stifled our economy and it only fans the embers of corruption and that retaining it will do us no good”
Adegoroye maintained that “What Tinubu did by those words even before the elections was that he was coming to work for Nigeria and not to play politics with us.
“Only Chief Obafemi Awolowo used to demonstrate such honesty and in recent times, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. I recall that he even said that despite those utterances, he will still go on to win the elections.
“Nigerians ought to be prepared as notice was given. We pray for more sincere leaders like Tinubu.”
He however, appealed to Nigerians to support Tinubu over the subsidy removal rather than allowing few Nigerians profiting from it and enriching themselves at the expense of poor Nigerians.
“Let Nigerians be assured that this is a government that cares for their welfare and as such, Mr President will shortly take well-considered measures to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians arising from the no subsidy regime” Adegoroye said
It will be recalled that the President, in his inaugural address on Monday, declared an end to the era of subsidy payment, saying the 2023 budget made no provision for fuel subsidy, so further payment was no longer justifiable.
