Pro-Buhari group lauds removal of fuel subsidy, asks Nigerians to support govt’s action

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has urged Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration on the petroleum subsidy removal which led to the increase in the price of fuel from N148 to N162 per litre.

The group lauded the decision of the Buhari administration to remove the subsidy, saying that subsidy had over the years remained a cesspool of corruption and a means of enriching few individuals to the detriment of most Nigerians.

BMO stated this in a statement signed and released in Abuja on Monday by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and secretary, Cassidy Madueke.

It said “Now with the removal of the subsidy, much of the resources will be saved for the infrastructural development of the country. This will be made possible as the Buhari administration is famous for being transparent and disciplined in the management of public funds.

“We believe that this is what makes all the difference from the past administrations,” the group said.

Appealing to Nigerians to show understanding because their pain over the removal would be short-lived, BMO said that the Buhari administration remained focussed on changing the Nigerian landscape with infrastructures such as railways, roads, bridges, housing and other indices of socio-economic development.

The pro-Buhari group equally appealed to the other tiers of government – states and local governments to contribute their quota in the efforts to bring development to all the nooks and crannies of the country, stressing that the federal government cannot carry the burden alone.

“We wonder why some civil society groups and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) are opposing the move considering the inherent benefits that will accrue from its diligent implementation. We urge them to sheathe their sword and lend their support to the government’s effort to reposition the country,” it added.

Also responding to the views expressed by Nigerians on the increased prices of electricity tariffs and some goods and services, the group assured that Nigeria’s economy and growth would pick up again and even “get much better than its previous standing.”

It noted that whatever the country “is facing now is only transient and as a result of the shocks in the global economy.

“There is nothing to worry about. We just have to endure the little setbacks that the Covid-19 pandemic has occasioned, and keep hope alive. But one thing we can assure Nigerians is that this President will do all that is within his powers to ensure that the Nigerian people do not suffer.

“The global economy has been badly hit by the effects of the pandemic. With the disruption of supply chains, the prices of food has gone high across the world. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations had in fact highlighted that across the world, the prices of food had risen for the third consecutive month in August. It noted that this had been caused by a weaker dollar and higher demands,” BMO said.