Governor Alex Otti of Abia State says fuel subsidy removal is a good policy and that anybody praying for its return does not mean well for Nigeria.
“As the election approaches, people will be making all sorts of arguments. But removing the subsidy was the right thing to do, and I don’t think anybody who is praying for its return means well for the country,” Mr Otti said in an interview with Arise TV on Friday.
The Abia governor said he supports subsidy removal because it has made many Nigerians more reasonable in their spending and lifestyle, adding that the fuel subsidy had become a scam.
Explaining his support for fuel subsidy removal, Mr Otti said, “I have sufficient reasons, including the scam that it became. If you are being subsidised, you can just put 20 vehicles on the road, but by the time prices went up, people became reasonable.”
Mr Otti’s statement comes amid debate over fuel subsidy restoration sparked by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign promise.
Mr Abubakar, who is the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has vowed to restore petrol subsidy for locally produced fuel to ease the economic burden on citizens.