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Remove fuel subsidy before you go — U.S to Buhari
With about 68 days to hand over the reins of power to the incoming government, the United States of America (USA) has implored President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the controversial fuel subsidy before bowing out of office on May 29, 2023.
The Buhari administration had recently vowed to remove the controversial petrol subsidy before the end of the current federal government.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, who stated this, attributed the delay in removal of the subsidy, as provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, to the 2023 general election and the forthcoming national population census.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of VON in Abuja, she however disclosed that no conclusion had been reached on how to mitigate the effect of the proposed fuel subsidy removal on the citizens.
Speaking through its outgoing Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, charged Buhari who said he was in a hurry to leave office to complete the unfinished job of fuel subsidy removal.
In response to the president’s expression of satisfaction with the blossoming Nigeria-US relations, the ambassador in her remarks said she was happy with the progress made in Nigeria-US relations in the past three-and-half years, citing the recent institution of a five-year visa regime between the two countries, active collaboration in security and the supply of military hardware, including war planes and the soon-to-come fighter helicopters, and cooperation in the health sector to fight HIV and COVID-19 response.
She assured that the US will continue to assist in the strengthening of Nigeria’s health sector.
Leonard expressed her gratitude and that of the US government Buhari’s role in ensuring regional security and strengthening of democracy as a system of government, citing his strong response against the recent surge of coups-d’état in West Africa as worthy of commendation.
She expressed hope that even as he is preparing to leave, there are still a few more things the president could do, among which she mentioned the urgent need to remove fuel subsidy.
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