WITH the unending queues at the petrol stations due to scarcity of petroleum products in Nigeria, the debate on fuel subsidy removal is resurfacing again in the country. Both experts in the oil and gas sector and the international community are calling on the federal government to remove fuel subsidy with immediate effect while the.
Last year 2011, I read one article where Professor David Tam West, former Minister of Petroleum stated that there is nothing like fuel subsidy. I was surprise to hear that from him. Argument advanced by the president for subsidy removal is that it benefits small cabal and that it is not going to the poor who are meant to benefit from it.
We use the MyGTAP model, which is an economy wide framework to identify the impacts of several fuel subsidy reduction scenarios, together with complementary policies to alleviate the negative impacts of the subsidy removal on the economy. The scenarios range from the complete removal of the subsidy (Scenario 1) to offering policy alternatives.
As negotiations go on towards resolving the fuel subsidy debacle, I implore you not to suspend the struggle should the subsidy be restored, as the issue at hand is more than subsidy removal. The social contract that the government has with the people has been torn to pieces by the government and you should ensure that the government becomes.
Friends, over the last few days, I have been bombarded with series of phone call, text messages and Blackberry messages from friends, admirers and fans across all sectors across the world. The concerns have been the same “what is your opinion on the fuel subsidy issue” and “why have you been silent”. A more disturbing message came from a young lady I have so much respect for, who asked.
Former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South senatorial district, Ali Ndume has warned sternly that any attempt to remove fuel subsidy will spell doom for the country. Reacting to a motion on “exiting fuel subsidy”, which was sponsored by Senator Rose Oko representing Cross River North Senatorial district, he said the Senate should not.
Today, the fuel subsidy removal is still a thorny issue in our national politics because we refused to make the necessary sacrifice vital for national development. The ghost of the January 2012 mass protest stayed President Goodluck Jonathan’s hand from removing the scam called subsidy, so it was allowed to remain even as the economy is bleeding. Over the years, the refineries were neglected.
A commenter on the internet poste that “fuel subsidy removal is a good policy for the country in general. “Some may argue it is a bad policy with the trappings of bad things, inadequate planning and lack lustre implementation. There will be no perfect time to implement a policy such as fuel subsidy.