Fuel subsidy not sustainable – APC governors

Tamarauemi Ebimini

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has said that the fuel subsidy regime was not a sustainable system for the nation’s economy.

At a briefing in Abuja on Friday, the forum also expressed their support for the decision taken by President Bola Tinubu on the issue.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, who spoke with State House Correspondents after a meeting with the president, said the decision to remove subsidy was an inherited legacy by the administration.

He said that what Nigerians should be talking about now is sustainable alternatives that would benefit every citizen, adding that subsidy removal was long overdue.

Mr Uzodinma said that the history of oil deregulation was a long one that required patriotic responsibility to be tackled once and for all.

‘’One may wonder why the rush in increasing pump prices immediately. Since May 29, I don’t think anybody has imported fuel. What they are selling is still the old stock.

‘’We really need to be our brothers’ keepers. There is no way we can be like other nations that we admire without incorporating global practices.

‘’The private and public sector must collaborate to ensure an economy that is free and fair and competitive,’’ he said.

The governor added that the real issue remains that not many Nigerians are enjoying the benefits of the subsidy as intended by the government.

On the measures to be taken to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal, Mr Uzodinma said that the federal government was working out measures for that.