The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) says the fuel subsidy regime is not a sustainable system for the nation’s economy.
At a briefing in Abuja on Friday, members of the forum also expressed their support for President Bola Tinubu on the issue.
Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, who spoke to State House correspondents after a meeting with the president, said the decision to remove fuel subsidy was an inherited legacy by the administration.
“Firstly, the decision about removing fuel subsidy was what presidential candidates promised Nigerians during their campaigns. It is not something new.
“What the president did was only to say there is no allocation for subsidy in the 2023 budget from June, and that’s the reality.
“The removal of fuel subsidy was what we had decided as members of the economic team during the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
Uzodinma said that the history of oil deregulation was a long one that required patriotic responsibility to be tackled once and for all.
“One may wonder why the rush to increase pump prices immediately. Since May 29, I don’t think anybody has imported fuel. What they are selling is still the old stock. We really need to be our brothers’ keepers. There is no way we can be like other nations that we admire without incorporating global practices. The private and public sectors must collaborate to ensure an economy that is free, fair, and competitive,” he said.
