'What Tinubu didn't know about subsidy removal'

A former Governor of Kano State, Mr Ibrahim Shekarau has accused President Bola Tinubu of lying to Nigerians over the much tauted fuel subsidy removal claims.

The former Minister made the claim in an interview on Friday Channels Television ‘Politics Today’.

But he insisted that most Nigerians, especially the elites believe that subsidy payment on petroleum products, had put money into the pockets of few individuals in Nigeria.

Shekarau called on the President to urgently set up a Technical Committee and a Public hearing on the way forward of the current economic morass Nigeria has found itself.

The former Nigeria Minister of Education said, “Up to this moment, there are arguments that is still being paid. Whatever you have to call it. So, of you have stopped paying subsidy in different ways”.

He revealed that the fuel subsidy removal announcement that was made by President Bola during his swearing in speech on May 29, 2023, was a grave mistake.

He also noted that President Tinubu ought to have consulted widely before the decision was taken having discovered that his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari did not include fuel subsidy payment in the 2023 appropriation Budget.

Shekarau advised President Tinubu to take responsibility for the liabilities of past government and stop the blame game over the wrong decisions of former President Buhari.

He said, “There is hardly any new Government that does not inherit problems. This blame game should not be there. Buhari spent two-third time in his Government blaming past Governments.

Organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria gave the federal government enough notice ahead of the hunger protest, but “the public was not carried along”, according to Shekarau.

He said, the President ought to have admitted during last week Sunday nationwide Broadcast to Nigerians that his government made some mistakes and announce measures that would be taken to correct them.

“As we say in teaching job, the best learning is when you learn through your mistakes. Let the Government sits back and identify mistakes and errors made so far.

“I pray that the government succeed. Regardless of my own opposition in office,we pray for you. If he fails, it is the same Nigerians who will be suffering”, he said.