Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) has berated the country’s leadership for the continued payment of fuel subsidies as citizens continue to groan due to effects of the spiralling economy.
The human rights activist on Thursday in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, maintained that the continued payment of fuel subsidies was fraudulent due to the underhanded nature most of the oil companies engaged in their businesses.
“The Federal Government should try to seek solutions for the populace especially regarding the issue of subsidy; I got palliative from the US Govt while in custody but Nigerian public officials were stealing palliatives.
“Subsidy itself is a fraud and the problem is that no leadership is committed to tackling the issue. Even Buhari said during the commencement of his tenure that there is no subsidy. Most of the companies involved are being sanctioned by the USA. They are holding the country by the jugular,” Sowore said.
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Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said it would stop the payment of fuel subsidy by the end of June 2023.
Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, disclosed this on Wednesday during the public presentation of the 2023 Federal Government budget.
Ahmed disclosed that in the 2023 fiscal period, the government had made provisions of N3.36 trillion for fuel subsidy payments to cover the first six months of this year.
This subsidy removal, she stated, was in line with the 18-month extension announced in early 2022.
Analysing the budget, the minister noted that the nation’s revenue performance as of November 2022 stood at N6.5 trillion; representing 87 per cent of the set target of N7.8 trillion for the year.
