Yakubu Dogara, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not remove the petrol subsidy, though he was the one who publicly declared it was no longer in effect.
Speaking on Channels TV on Friday, Dogara explained that while Tinubu made the announcement during his inauguration, the removal of the subsidy had already occurred prior to his election, as there was no allocation for it in the budget approved by the National Assembly before Tinubu assumed office.
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Dogara stated, “Before the President was elected, there was no provision for subsidy payment in the national budget. He didn’t remove the subsidy; it was no longer in existence by the time he took office.”
He added that the decision to remove the subsidy was a necessary step for the country’s progress, even though it had led to noticeable economic hardships for Nigerians.
“The issue with Nigeria is that people focus only on the problems and not the solutions. Everyone discusses the challenges without talking about how to resolve them,” Dogara remarked.
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On the implications of the subsidy removal, Dogara stressed that there was no legal provision for its continuation, and any claims suggesting that Tinubu suspended the subsidy were inaccurate.
He said, “The truth is, he (Tinubu) wasn’t the one who removed it. The subsidy had already been removed before he even took office, as there was no provision for it in the budget.”
Dogara highlighted the constitutional backing of the budget, noting that without subsidy payments in the approved budget, it was impossible to continue funding the subsidy program.
