Major beneficiaries of fuel subsidies in Nigeria are smugglers, neighbouring Africa countries, and some rich people in Nigeria, Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has said.
He said Cameroon has closed down its refinery due to the cheap fuel they are getting from Nigeria.
He spoke on Tuesday at the launch of the World Bank Nigeria Development Update (NDU) in Abuja.
The governor said Nigeria is losing N250 billion monthly on subsidy payment, which is not beneficial to Nigerians — but neighbouring countries.
“The fuel that matters to Nigerians is kerosene, it has been deregulated and the world has not collapsed. The fuel that is important to industry and transporters is diesel and it has been deregulated — nothing has happened,” the governor said.
“So, this hullabaloo about petrol is just something we must as a country have a conversation and agree that it has to end, we can not continue to provide petroleum gasoline to our neighbouring country, which is what we are doing,” he said.
The governor said: “This month, the NNPC brought only N14 billion to the federation account. In the budget, they are meant to bring in N120 billion monthly, but they brought 14 billion with the threat that they will ask the federation account to give them a cheque to cover the subsidy.”
“Who is befitting for the subsidising other than the smugglers, neighbouring Africa countries, and some rich people?”
“We should stop politicising these things that will bring Nigeria to its knees”
Speaking on the move to replace fuel subsidy with a N5,000 transport grant for 40 million Nigerians, El-Rufa’i said it’s a welcome development as the state governors are in full support.
“The Nigerian Governor Forum has met and agreed to support the federal government, withdraw this subsidy by February, and use the N250 billion per month that would have been lost between February and May to do these conditional cash transfers that would put money in the pocket of Nigerians,” he said.
“To ameliorate not only the cost of transportation but also the 2 to 3 percent jump in inflation that is expected when the subsidy is removed.”
