Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie
The Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, has said the removal of subsidy should be done by the Buhari-led administration before Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sworn in on May 29.
While speaking on ARISE News yesterday, Adar said, “It is not the Tinubu administration that will remove the oil subsidy when he is sworn in.
“I wish the sitting government will remove subsidy before it goes. That will be the parting gift it could do to Nigerians and the incoming government.”
Afterwards, he said he had no doubt that the Tinubu-led administration would bring about desired results when taking care of the issues related with the fuel subsidy.
Adar exonerated Buhari from challenges associated with the fuel subsidy, insisting that the blame should be heaped on past governments.
According to him, the challenges faced by Nigerians over fuel subsidy started long ago with Buhari’s predecessors and that the president has no hand on it.
Adar, stated that going forward, the incoming government would know how to address the issues surrounding fuel subsidy.
The chairman however stressed that Nigerians have been clamoring for the removal of the subsidy for a while, but it had not been getting the required attention.
He said the President-elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu had promised to remove fuel subsidy during his campaign, adding that Tinubu may immediately remove fuel subsidy on assumption of office or tarry a while before removing fuel subsidy.
Speaking further, Adar said the issue of fuel subsidy wasn’t a Nigerian factor but a global factor and that it was rather unfortunate that the nation had no means to refining petroleum products for local consumption.
“If we were refining petroleum products in the country, there wouldn’t be the issue of fuel subsidy because there will be nothing to subsidise. “It will be sold based on what is refined. Removal of the cost of production will make some little margin.
“In this circumstance, we can’t survive without it, because of the energy demand in various sectors, hence the importation. It is an unfortunate situation and it’s not the Buhari or incoming Tinubu’s administration that is the cause of it,” he said.
Adar further said it had become a problem over a period going to about four decades with lots of people who have fed fat on it.
“I will like to see them being brought to book, investigated and prosecuted and jailed if possible,” Adar suggested.
Speaking on the way forward regarding the removal of subsidy, Adar urged the Buhari’s administration to be patriotic enough to leave no stone unturned as he believes it would greatly be of help.
He said the move would nullify efforts of whoever was trying to politicise the issue or ambush the new President-elect when he is eventually sworn in.
