A former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan and renowned social commentator, Reno Omokri, has faulted the accuracy of Peter Obi’s claim regarding President Jonathan’s attempts to remove subsidy.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Omokri suggests that Obi’s statement may be misleading and lacks veracity.
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, had expressed his support for the removal of petrol subsidy through a tweet on Tuesday.
While attending his ongoing petition case at the Court of Appeal, Obi recounted an encounter with judicial correspondents who sought his opinion on the subsidy removal.
According to Obi, his stance on subsidy removal has been consistent since his time as a member of Jonathan’s economic management team.
However, Omokri has vehemently refuted Obi’s account, denouncing it as false. Through his Twitter account, Omokri countered Obi’s claims, stating that he was present at the Villa during the period in question.
Omokri clarified that President Jonathan did not introduce “relieving policies like SURE-P and others” before removing the subsidy. He emphasised that the SURE-P program was launched on the same day as the temporary removal of fuel subsidy, which occurred on January 1, 2012.
Omokri further compared the current situation under the Buhari administration, highlighting the World Bank loan of $800 million secured to provide subsidy relief funds to 50 million Nigerians before the fuel subsidy was removed. He commended President Bola Tinubu for continuing the subsidy support payments to vulnerable Nigerians and incorporating the NLC and TUC for disbursement, as recently revealed in their joint communique.
Expressing his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party, Omokri firmly stated his support for Waziri Atiku Abubakar’s petition at the Presidential Election Petition Court. Nevertheless, he endorsed fuel subsidy removal, emphasising its importance for the nation’s welfare and development.
Omokri warned against politicising the issue and urged unity, highlighting the adverse impact of excessive spending on fuel subsidy on infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
It is worth noting that during President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration speech, he officially announced the end of Nigeria’s controversial petrol subsidy while assuming the role of the country’s 16th president in Abuja. President Tinubu emphasised the detrimental effect of the subsidy on the economy, depriving it of crucial funds required for development.
In response to President Tinubu’s decision, organised labour groups such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initially declared a strike scheduled for Wednesday to protest the exorbitant cost of petrol.
However, following a meeting with government officials, the strike was later suspended.
