Northern Groups Stand Firmly Behind Tinubu’s Bold Subsidy Removal, Criticize Buhari’s Controversial Policies

In a remarkable show of support, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to remove fuel subsidies, which were announced on May 29. The coalition, consisting of 150 Civil Society Organizations from the North, has also taken the opportunity to criticize former President Muhammadu Buhari for his alleged pursuit of unpopular deregulation programs.

Citing staggering figures, the CNG emphasized that the annual expenditure of $15.6 billion on subsidies could be better utilized to build extensive railway networks, connecting major cities such as Lagos, Kano, Port-Harcourt, Maiduguri, and Calabar. The group’s spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Sulieman, highlighted the detrimental impact of the Federal Government’s expenditure of N2.91 trillion on petrol subsidies between January and September 2022, attributing it to the country’s current financial decline.

Drawing attention to the undeniable corruption within the subsidy regime, the CNG’s communique revealed data that exposed the unjust enrichment of a privileged few at the expense of vital public projects, which could be executed at a fraction of the annual subsidy cost. Moreover, the coalition pointed out that the subsidy expenditure surpassed the funding required for significant infrastructural endeavors, such as constructing state-of-the-art stadiums in Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.

The communique read, “Successive governments in Nigeria have attempted, but failed, to remove or reduce the subsidy, which has severely impeded the nation’s development goals, as it primarily benefits a select group of affluent households.”

The CNG further alleged that subsidy payments served as a means to embezzle public funds. They contended, “The oil subsidy has served as a conduit for diverting public funds to the advantage of a powerful cartel, at the expense of the entire nation.” The group also criticized former President Buhari for his failure to fulfill promises of rehabilitating the nation’s refineries. Instead, they claimed he pursued unpopular deregulation programs, perpetuating the fraudulent subsidy regime and exacerbating the country’s crises and widespread suffering.

Tinubu’s revelation that the budget inherited from Buhari did not account for petrol subsidies, effectively removing them, was met with resistance from the exploiters who profited from the subsidy budgets. Since the announcement, the cartel that has reaped these benefits, while the masses suffered, has launched a campaign propagating fictitious adverse effects on the daily lives of Nigerians.

The CNG appealed to the Nigerian masses to remain vigilant against the damaging propaganda campaigns orchestrated by these “merciless cartels,” who have relentlessly impoverished the nation while pocketing the subsidy proceeds for themselves and their families.