Ex-lawmaker, Bugaje faults Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy without plans to cushion effects

A former member of the House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, on Monday faulted President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy without adequate plans to cushion the effects of the policy.

President Tinubu had in his inaugural address on May 29 last year announced the removal of the fuel subsidy and promised to put in place measures to cushion the impacts of the decision on Nigerians.

The decision led to an increase in the pump price of petrol and the attendant rise in food inflation and other costs of living in the country.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on February 8 gave the federal government a two-week ultimatum to meet its demands occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The demands include wage increments, improved access to public utilities, and other measures to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on the citizens.

Bugaje, who spoke on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, lamented that President Tinubu’s government didn’t make adequate preparation for such a bold step.

He also berated the government officials for being out of touch with Nigerians.

READ ALSO: Tinubu had no plans what to do after subsidy removal, Obaseki laments

The ex-lawmaker opined that many of those in the government lack ideas on how to address the problems arising from the removal of subsidy and other challenges facing Nigeria.

Bugaje said: “We had expected that when the new government took over, we were expecting that he would surround himself with expertise. We were expecting that for him to have announced the removal of the fuel subsidy, he must have had a plan – something that would address the consequences of that.

“You don’t make a policy without looking at the consequences and preparing to cushion the effect of that. But apparently, he did that without preparation.

“I can see a lot of sycophancy around the president. People are not engaging him. They are not telling him the truth and he seems to be very comfortable with the kind of people he has around him who don’t seem to have any ideas in their heads.

“They don’t seem to have any solutions to the problems that we have and they are always trying to find excuses.”

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