The Federal Government stated yesterday that contrary to the
speculation in the media that the government was planning to withdraw the
remaining subsidy on petrol, such plan is not on its table for now. They said
for now o! :-)
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs,
Dr. Doyin Okupe, released the statement saying:
"We wish to state categorically that, the removal of
oil subsidy is not on the table of the Transformation Agenda of the President.
The statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the recent Economic Summit
held in Lagos was a frank, intellectual and well articulated contribution by
the President to the discussion on the Nigerian economy at the said summit, and
it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective."
See the rest after the cut...
"It is an undeniable fact that every responsible
leadership, genuine stakeholder and patriot must be worried when a nation
spends about N1 trillion, an equivalent
of about 20 per cent of the national
budget, on subsidy paid out to a few companies and enjoyed in the main by very
few elites, while the common man benefits only minimally.
"However, it is an incontrovertible fact that
sufficient allocation for fuel subsidy has already being made in the 2013
budget; therefore, there is no cause for alarm on removal of subsidy. The
President and this administration are not insensitive to the plights of the
Nigerian masses and will continue to pursue and execute policies and programmes
that are in the overall interest of majority of Nigerians and that will bring
the greatest good to the greatest number of our teeming population.
"Finally, for the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of
being repetitive, this administration is not considering the issue of removal
of fuel subsidy in the nearest future and certainly will not embark on any such
programme without extensive consultations and engagements across the various
segments, interests and stakeholders in the Nigerian polity."
Signed
Dr Doyin Okupe
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