Subsidy Removal: Past Govts Lacked Courage To Take Action-Presidency

The Presidency last night came to the defence of President Muhammadu Buhari over the removal of petroleum subsidy, that led to the increase in the petroleum pump price, saying that though it had long been seen as the right thing to do, previous administrations lacked the courage to take the action.
The Presidency said President, Buhari had to take the difficult decisions, both popular and unpopular, stressing that as a leader, he was demonstrating the right courage to take such decisions as they become necessary in view of present circumstances.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, MallamGarbaShehu in Abuja.
The statement noted that subsidy removal had long been seen as a game-changer by successive administrations but the courage to implement the reforms was lacking. It said more than the expectations of critics, history will be kind to Buhari for eliminating the evil of corruption embedded in subsidies.
The Presidency noted the argument of critics as to the timing of the subsidy removal and admonished that what the President needed now was the support of all including the opposition.
According to the statement: “The All Progressives Congress, APC came to power in 2015 defeating an incumbent administration amidst very high expectations from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Five years on, the administration has worked hard to meet many expectations, but still, there are certain tough decisions which had to be taken to put back the country on the path of sustainable development.