Former Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi has disagreed with the way President Bola Tinubu handled the removal of fuel subsidy.
Speaking on Monday, Obi revealed steps Tinubu should have taken before removing subsidy on fuel.
Recall that Tinubu had announced an end to the fuel subsidy regime during his presidential inauguration in Abuja in 2023.
The president came under heavy criticism for the manner in which he announced the removal of subsidy on fuel.
Nigerians had said Tinubu should have put in place modalities that would cushion the effect of the subsidy removal before making the announcement.
Despite these criticisms, Obi said there is nothing wrong with Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy because he would have done the same if he were president.
In an interview with Arise Television, Obi said: “I’ve consistently maintained that I would have removed the fuel subsidy. If you go to my manifesto, it’s there—steps I would have taken to do it in an organized manner.
“There is nothing wrong in the removal of subsidy; what is wrong is the haphazard way in which it was announced and implemented.
“Everybody knows that the subsidy regime was that of criminality.
“As outlined in my manifesto, I would have implemented subsidy removal in a structured and organised manner.
“However, the savings from subsidy removal from the Tinubu administration are not being reflected in critical areas of human development, such as education, health, and poverty alleviation.”
