Politicians on Wednesday in Lagos reacted differently to the Senate’s proposal to shift subsidy removal to April 1 in a bid to end the ongoing nationwide strike.
While some endorsed the Senate’s position, others said the subsidy removal was a necessity that Nigerians should live with.
Alhaji Musa Umar, Deputy National Chairman, Alliance for Democracy (AD), said over the telephone that he supported the Senate’s proposal.
“I support the Senate. Subsidy removal is a necessity provided the gains of that action will be utilised in the interest of Nigerians,’’ he said.
Senate had on Tuesday asked its leadership to meet President Goodluck Jonathan to demand the immediate suspension of the full deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry and the subsidy removal.
The senators also want the president to shift the implementation of the subsidy removal to April 1.
The AD chieftain blamed the ongoing strike on mistrust, as the people feared that the government might renege on its promise to invest subsidy savings on key sectors of the economy.
According to Umar, if the subsidy removal is moved to April it will afford the government more time to introduce the palliatives.
“Nigerians are not against the removal of fuel subsidy, but it should not be removed at once,’’ he said.
Mr Unimke Nawa, a former Publicity Secretary, Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), said April date was too short for fuel subsidy to be removed, but that it was necessary.
“Between now and April is quite short for the government to achieve any meaningful thing for Nigerians.
“I agree that there is the need to remove subsidy, but there should be an enabling environment to make for smooth transition so that we will not have problems,’’ he said.
According to him, subsidy removal is a necessity, but the palliatives should be in place before the removal.
However, Chief Ajibade Emiabatta, Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Lagos State, said the subsidy should stay.
“I am totally not in support of fuel subsidy removal because there is nothing there for the government to subsidise.
“The fuel subsidy should not be removed at all; rather the price per litre should be reduced to N40 because Nigeria is still producing fuel from its refineries,’’ he said.