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Onoh Urges Nigerians To Support Fuel Subsidy Removal, Gives Reasons
Dr. Josef Onoh, a former spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu in the south east, has emphasized the importance of removing Nigeria’s high expenditure on petroleum subsidy. According to him, redirecting these funds towards other sectors of the economy would directly improve the lives of middle and low-income citizens.
Although President Tinubu has not officially announced the withdrawal of the controversial oil subsidy, Dr. Onoh urges Nigerians to consider the actions of other countries, particularly in Africa, that have taken the bold step of eliminating the substantial costs associated with subsidizing the consumption of foreign petroleum products.
He highlights that such subsidies often disproportionately benefit the wealthy, who own multiple vehicles, rather than the poor citizens who rely on public transportation systems.
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Onoh urged Nigerians and whichever groups that are warming up for agitation against the new government of Bola Tinubu to be critical and understand that President Tinubu did not remove the oil subsidy by himself, but should know that no provision was made in the 2023 appropriation to fund the luxury of subsidizing the importation of petroleum products which as at today stands at $867 million or N400 billion every month, for products that are essentially consumed by the upper class or go out the country through smuggling, because the products are cheaper in Nigeria than its neighboring countries.
Onoh cited other African countries that had done away with oil subsidy such as Ghana that was spending $25.6 million every two weeks on fuel subsidy before the country cut off the strangulating yoke and had become free and stable after the old Gold Coast liberated itself from the subsidy bondage.
He also made a comparison with Republic of Cameroon which removed subsidy on oil and deregulated its markets, adding that even Nigeria experts such as the President of African Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina had also prescribed the removal of oil subsidy with its high cost on the Nigerian economy of $10 billion in 2022.
Citing more instances of other African countries that have made testimonies of their break through with the removal of subsidy in oil, Onoh gave the example of Egypt which in 2019 broke off completely with the subsidy oppression and implemented an International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic overhaul template, even when gasoline, diesel and kerosene were sold at 85 to 90 percent international cost within Egypt before it completely broke the yoke and liberated the country from the economic strangulation.
Onoh said that it was not only Tinubu who agreed that subsidy on oil should be removed, recalling that during electioneering campaign period and debates, all the presidential candidates of different political parties supported removal of oil subsidy.
“Ghana removed the subsidy after 30 years, and if you look at the progress and the economic stability in the present day Ghana, Nigerians will know that we cannot continue with oil subsidy at the detriment of our economic stability. Both the rich and the poor will face hardship but we should look at the collected benefit rather than the immediate hardship.
“There is no other way because we are caught in-between the devil and the deep blue sea. There is no way we can continue benefiting the rich while the poor get poorer. The only way we can have a balanced economy is when even the poor can have access to these basic needs. In the short term, the removal will cause panic but the cabals behind the refusal to remove the fuel subsidy are the greatest beneficiaries of that subsidy.
“So, they will play in the minds of the innocent poor, trying to make it look as if the government is against the poor, but the Tinubu administration is eager to balance our economy just like other countries have done. We should sustain that confidence,” Onoh said.
He noted that Canadian government, United Kingdom, the United States of America and other foreign countries will all show more confidence in the Nigeria economy.
“But we also need to show that we want our economy to grow and we cannot continue to rely on half term measures, riding on a Tiger’s back, not thinking it could as well turn around to kill us. So we should back this administration.
“The test of our Progress is not whether we avoid temporarily removing the fuel subsidy out of fear of hardship for Nigerians which in turn will add to the abundance of those who have much and beneficiaries of the subsidy, rather it is whether the current administration provides enough after it’s removal for those who have too little,”Onoh encouraged.
African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused government authorities of repeatedly targeting him, declaring that he has been a threat to the government since he was 20 years old.
Sowore made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, following an alleged attack on him and members of his team in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The activist expressed frustration over questions about why he believed the authorities considered him a threat, insisting that attention should instead be focused on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
SEE ALSO: Sowore Challenges Okonjo-Iweala to Name Those Behind Alleged $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud
During the interview, Sowore alleged that the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, knew the individuals responsible for the attack, claiming that the commissioner visited them while they were receiving medical treatment.
“So he knew the people who attacked us,” Sowore said.
He further alleged that shortly after the commissioner left, the police issued a statement describing the incident as an altercation.
Questioning the circumstances surrounding the incident, Sowore also raised concerns about the alleged removal of CCTV cameras at the location.
“And why are they trying to remove the camera?” he asked.
Sowore also recalled previous encounters with security agencies, alleging that a tracking device had once been placed under his vehicle and traced to the Department of State Services (DSS).
“They placed a tracker under my car. It was traced to the DSS,” he said.
The AAC candidate further referenced an incident during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that he was abducted from a hotel in Lagos.
He also claimed that DSS operatives attempted to take him away from a court premises less than two months ago, but were resisted.
Responding to questions about why he believed the authorities were after him, Sowore described the line of questioning as condescending.
He subsequently declared: “I’ve been a threat to the government since I was 20 years old, and they have not given up on me.”
He added: “They want to kill me, and you know it.”
Sowore maintained that the central issue was the alleged attack in Ekiti rather than questions about his perception of the government’s attitude towards him.
“The issue is that we were attacked, unprovoked, in Ekiti State, and we have given you what happened,” he said.
He also challenged journalists not to pretend they were unaware of what he described as continued attempts to target him.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know,” he added.
How the Ekiti Incident Happened
The controversy followed an incident at a restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti on Friday, where Sowore and members of his team sustained injuries during a confrontation with some individuals.
Sowore had earlier raised an alarm on social media, alleging that armed men attacked his team and that their whereabouts were initially unknown.
In a post on his X account, he accused the attackers of being government-sponsored and alleged that the DSS provided them with his team’s location.
“We have been brutally attacked and injured by well armed government-sponsored thugs in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State,” he wrote.
He subsequently accused the security agency of providing the attackers with their exact location to facilitate the assault.
However, the Ekiti State Police Command disputed reports that Sowore had been kidnapped, explaining that officers responded to a distress call concerning an altercation involving the AAC candidate and some individuals at a restaurant.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said operatives were immediately deployed to the scene and rescued Sowore before taking him to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti for medical attention.
According to the police, Sowore sustained a minor injury during the incident.
The command also disclosed that the Commissioner of Police had ordered a discreet investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify those involved and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.
Sowore subsequently rejected the police description of the incident as an altercation, insisting that he and his associates were attacked.
“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared.
He also accused the police command of downplaying the severity of the incident despite what he said the commissioner witnessed during his visit.
The conflicting accounts have left questions surrounding the circumstances of the incident, with the police investigation expected to establish what transpired and identify those responsible.
The DSS had yet to publicly respond to Sowore’s allegations at the time of this report.
President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of six nominees for executive director positions at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to the Senate for confirmation, retaining three existing directors while introducing three new nominees.
The nominations were conveyed to the Senate in a letter from the President, according to a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The six nominees comprise three executive directors seeking reappointment and three new candidates proposed for different leadership positions within the petroleum regulatory agency.
SEE ALSO: Tinubu Promises to Boost Local Production with NNPC Refineries
The officials nominated for reappointment are Abiodun Adeniji, Executive Director of Finance and Accounts; Ogbugo Kalu Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde, Executive Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Community.
The three new nominees are Mobolaji Tajudeen Musa, proposed as Executive Director of Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure; Ogechukwu Modie, nominated as Executive Director of Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning; and Said Abutalib, nominated as Executive Director of Corporate Services and Administration.
If confirmed by the Senate, all six nominees will serve five-year terms.
President Tinubu urged the lawmakers to consider the nominations expeditiously, stating that the appointments would ensure institutional continuity and strengthen the Authority’s oversight capacity.
In a related development, the President has approved the appointment of Jumoke Gafar as Secretary to the Board/Authority and Legal Adviser of the NMDPRA.
Her appointment is subject to the completion of the statutory processes stipulated under Section 46 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The latest nominations follow Tinubu’s appointment of Engr. Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA in April.
The Senate’s consideration and confirmation of the six nominees will determine their formal appointment to the respective executive director positions.
In the bid to improve environmental sanitation, the Osun State Government plans to engage with immediate effect, able-bodied men and women as ad hoc road sweepers.
Biztellers reports that the exercise would cover designated areas of the state.
The recruitment exercise, announced by the Osun State Taskforce on Environmental Sanitation (OSTES) is open to medically fit able bodied men and women who are residents of the areas where they intend to work.
According to the public service announcement, applicants must be at least 30 years of age, medically fit and resident in their preferred areas of assignment.
READ ALSO: US Hails DPRP as Nigeria’s Petroleum Exports Surge Seven Times
The designated areas mentioned by the Taskforce include Akoda- Abere, Ataoja -Ogo-Oluwa, Olaiya -Old Garage, Igbonna -Ayetoro, Power Line – Ota-Efun and Kobongbogboe.
Other areas covered by the exercise are Ataoja- Dele Yes Sir, Stadium- Testing Ground and Ilesa- Garage, as well as Oke-Fia -Dada Estate, Dele Yes Sir- Lameco and Oroki Housing Estate.
Interested applicants are required to submit application letters to the General Manager, Osun Waste Management Agency, at its office located at the former Boreepo House, West Bye-Pass, Ring Road, Osogbo.
The announcement further stated that the deadline for submission of applications is Thursday, November 12th, 2026.
The recruitment is expected to support routine road sweeping and complement the state’s efforts to promote a cleaner, healthier and safer environment.
Applicants have been advised to ensure that they meet the stated requirements and reside within the areas where they seek to be deployed.
It would be recalled that the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, had earlier declared every Thursday of the week as Environmental Sanitation Day throughout the state during which offices, markets, shopping malls and homes among other public places are to be swept clean between 8am and 10am.
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