Business
Republican Party Supports Removal Of Fuel Subsidy
The National Chairman of the Republican Party of Nigeria, Mr Mohammed Shittu, says the removal of fuel subsidy will bring more benefits to Nigerians.
Shittu made the observation on Monday in Abuja, while reacting to the hike in the price of petrol, following the removal of subsidy on petroleum products on Sunday by the Federal Government.
“This will bring about a revolution in the sector as we witnessed in the telecommunication sector.
“Nigerians should be ready to make sacrifice because the revolution can only succeed if we are ready to do so,’’ he told newsmen.
Shittu said that Nigerians were enjoying GSM today because of deregulation, adding “we cannot afford to enrich a few people in the name of subsidy’’.
“I want to believe that we must start from somewhere and to get there we must pay a price.
“I believe that the money saved from the removal of subsidy will be invested in other sectors of the economy such as agriculture and education,’’ he said.
Shittu said that investors would not build refineries if there was no deregulation.
‘Investors will not want to build refineries in a situation where the government dictates the price of petroleum products.’’
He advised the government to invest more in agriculture, saying that agriculture had the capacity to provide more jobs than any other sector.
“The fact remains that by the time our agricultural potential is properly harnessed, our economy will be one of the strongest in the world.
“Our dependence on oil has caused the country a lot of problems, so we must learn to diversify our economy,’’ Shittu added.
However, in his reaction, Mr Patrick Emiantor, the National Secretary of the Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ), said the government should have provided some cushioning effect before removing subsidy on fuel.