The removal of fuel subsidy has brought about negative reactions from most Nigerians. A top government official claims President Muhammadu Buhari resisted it for months. He said the president was forced to take the move
A top federal government official has revealed that Dr Ibe Kachikwu and some state governors pressed President Muhammadu Buhari into removing fuel subsidy.
Daily Trust reports that the official who pleaded anonymity said in Abuja on Saturday, May 14 that President Buhari was concerned about the effect of increasing fuel price to N145 on common Nigerians and had resisted the minister of state for petroleum’s proposals for several months. He said however the president “succumbed reluctantly this month when he (Buhari) was presented with the stark reality of the dropping oil earnings and foreign reserves situation.”
The official said apart from this, “pressure from state governors whose allocation from FAAC has been dropping was also a significant factor that swayed the president.”
He said Buhari would not have agreed to the new fuel pricing if he had not been presented with evidence that Nigeria’s declining foreign earnings from oil would be further devastated unless independent oil marketers and other interested entities are encouraged to import fuel.
The official said: “The amount required for fuel importation alone will easily take about more than half of the $550m foreign earnings. If the country continues doing that the oil revenue left for FAAC sharing would be significantly reduced with the possibility that a situation where there would be nothing left to share between federal government, states and local governments exists in the near future.
“Although NNPC is meant to supply only 50 per cent of the local fuel supply and independent marketers making up the balance, none of the marketers has been able to source forex from the CBN this year and therefore cannot sell at the prevailing price regime and make a profit. If the federal government continues with NNPC alone importing oil, and trying to fill the gap left by the independent marketers by dedicating more export crude for domestic consumption, the depleting impact on the oil earnings would continue to worsen. And when this is added to the fact that already about 27 states cannot pay salaries because of the dwindling foreign earnings, the situation becomes even worse. Even some oil producing states like Bayelsa are affected.
“With the drastic reduction in the foreign earnings in April, what would be shared at the next FAAC is expected to be the least ever, when the meagre $550m oil earnings are converted to Naira. The sharp reduction in government revenue particularly from oil earnings due to low price regime in the international market has been exacerbated by domestic factors such as recent sabotage by disgruntled and faceless militants in the Niger Delta”.
Meanwhile, the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, urged Nigerians to endure the hike in the price of petrol, adding that the government action was influenced by the need to reposition the economy into a productive one.
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