Bukola Afeni
Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has faulted the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria, saying the policy was hastily implemented without proper consultation and has worsened poverty, hunger, inflation and insecurity across the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday, Dalung said the decision reflected a lack of understanding of governance and Nigeria’s complex socio-economic realities by the President at the time.
“Granted, the subsidy removal has been done, but it was carried out in a manner that once again showed that the President then did not fully understand the workings of government and the complex nature of a country like Nigeria,” he said.
Dalung argued that such a far-reaching policy required extensive consultation, which he said was absent at the time.
“He needed consultation. At that point, there was no government in place only the President and the Vice President had been sworn in. That does not constitute a government. A proper government, with a cabinet, advisers, and policymakers, should have been consulted on a decision of that magnitude, but that did not happen,” he stated.
According to him, the announcement was made unilaterally, and Nigerians accepted it with hope that it would yield positive outcomes.
“An individual simply announced it, and Nigerians swallowed it with the expectation that something good would come out of it. Years later, nothing has come out of it except poverty, hunger, inflation, and insecurity,” Dalung added.
He further questioned the benefits of the policy, noting that the complete removal of subsidy should have translated into improved living standards for citizens.
“Since we have withdrawn the entire subsidy, Nigerians should by now be living better than people in Dubai, considering the enormous revenues that have flowed into government coffers,” he said.
