Lanre Issa-Onilu, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), urged Nigerians on Wednesday to devise survival strategies amid economic challenges following the removal of the petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu's administration. Issa-Onilu, a former APC spokesman, warned that reinstating the subsidy, as demanded by #EndBadGovernance protesters, would worsen poverty.

"Demanding the return of the subsidy is emotional, not economic. Reintroducing it will exacerbate poverty," Issa-Onilu said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. He emphasized the need for Nigerians to adapt and support government efforts to survive without the subsidy.

He acknowledged the public's mistrust due to past broken promises. "It is difficult to engage a people who feel let down. We must prove that this government will keep its promises," he stated.

President Tinubu reiterated on Sunday that the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) would not be reinstated, calling its removal a necessary economic reform. This decision followed nationwide protests against economic hardships, with demands for the return of petrol and electricity subsidies.

Nigeria, reliant on imported refined petroleum due to non-operational state refineries, has seen petrol prices triple since the subsidy removal in May 2023, from around N200/litre to about N700/litre. The unified forex windows caused the naira to plunge, leading to soaring prices of food and commodities.

Despite claims from the World Bank and Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited’s CEO, Robert Dickerman, that the government still pays subsidies, and human rights lawyer Femi Falana's challenge to clarify the issue, the state-run NNPC maintains that the petrol subsidy has been completely removed.

Source: Channelstv.com