Business
Princewill, Bobo-Brown Differ On Fuel Subsidy Removal
Following plans by the Federal Government to finally phase out fuel subsidy in the nation’s budget next year, two prominent opinion leaders from Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill and Amaopusenibo Soifiri Bobo-Brown have called for a thorough study of the situation.
Speaking to newsmen on the issue yesterday in Port Harcourt, Princewilll who expressed support for the policy said measures should be taken by the authorities to cushion the effect.
“I believe that fuel subsidy should be removed. When you look at all the arguments, I have a third school of thought. For me, subsidy is an opportunity for few people to enrich themselves, so, they can take away the subsidy without increasing the price of fuel,” he said.
The former Chairman of the Organised Opposition Political Parties in Rivers State argued that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) should be blamed for the lapses in the sector because of its inability to sustain local refining capacity of the refineries,” even at N65 per litre, I don’t believe the price of fuel is subidised,” he said.
He, however, lauded the Federal Government for raising capital expenditure and security vote in next year’s budget and submitted, “if we have security challenges next year with the kind of budget we have, then, we must ask ourselves questions.”
In his reaction, former President of the Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Amaopusenibo Soifiri Bobo-Brown called for a national debate by the citizenry over whether the subsidy should be removed,” the fuel subsidy should be a starting point of a debate for the salvaging of our economy”.
He explained that the issue should be a wake-up call for Nigerians to discuss how to improve the economy.
The former NIPR President blamed the issue on the comatose refineries, “so if the refineries do not produce, the price will naturally go up. In my view, Nigerians have not gained anything by importing fuel from abroad,” he said.
He, however, recommended that before the subsidy was removed, all efforts should be made to resuscitate the local refineries, “if the refineries start working, it would soak up the unemployed population and create more resources for local industries”, he opined.
On the state of security, Bobo-Brown remarked, “insecurity in the country is an expression of the frustration of many unemployed Nigerians”, and appealed to the federal and state governments to create employment opportunites to curb social vices.
Credit to Nigeria’s private sector rose to N83.26 trillion in June 2026 from N81.04 trillion in May, signifying a positive balance of N2.22 trillion month-on-month.
Year-on-year, the figure represents a nine per cent increase compared with the N76.13 trillion recorded in June 2025. The latest figures come as the CBN continues to balance efforts to control inflation with the need to support economic growth and expand credit to businesses.
The CBN data shows that credit to Nigeria’s private sector increased by approximately 2.74 per cent month-on-month between May and June 2026. Also, the CBN data noted that credit to the government fell slightly to N40.03 trillion from N40.38 trillion. Other assets, net, dropped to N10.76 trillion from N12.63 trillion.
The credit surge signifies sustained growth in lending to businesses and other private-sector borrowers during the month. The rise in private sector credit was recorded alongside an increase in net domestic credit, despite declines in credit to government and other assets.
Further analysis of the report says that compared with June 2025, private sector credit rose by about N7.13 trillion yea-on-year but net domestic credit increased by approximately N1.87 trillion during the month.
The CBN’s relatively tight monetary policy stance notwithstanding, more banks still loaded funds to the private sector within the period. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) held its 306th meeting on July 20 and 21.
The Committee reviewed recent developments in the global and domestic economies, assessed emerging risks to the outlook and considered their implications for monetary policy and retained all rates.
The Committee decided to retain the Monetary Policy Rate at 26.5 per cent; the Standing Facilities Corridor around the MPR at +50/-450 basis points and retain the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for Deposit Money Banks at 45.00 per cent, Merchant Banks at 16.00 per cent, and non-TSA public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent.
The MPC decision means that credit extension in the private sector will likely continue to rise because of rising confidence in the sector and calls by stakeholders for banks to invest in the private scetor instead of government securities.
