A former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has wondered why president Bola Tinubu fell prey to fuel subsidy criminals in the country.
On May 29, 2023, Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy, saying that the subsidy payment could not be sustained since is not captured in the 2023 budget.
Speaking in a recent interview with Trust Radio, Dalung said the president played into the hands of subsidy racketeers by announcing that subsidy was gone on his inauguration day.
The former minister said Nigerians have not recovered from the trauma of the fuel subsidy removal, and the federal government has not provided palliatives for vulnerable Nigerians.
Dalung, however, said Tinubu should reintroduce 50 per cent if it is necessary to remove subsidies.
“He goofed full-time by playing into the hands of subsidy racketeers, by making the statement that subsidy was gone. And Nigerians have not recovered from that trauma,” he said.
The former minister also said that Tinubu must defend the Naira, stressing that “allowing the Naira to float is just like sending a soldier to go to war naked”.
He urged the president to save the lives of Nigerians and redeem his name as they can no longer sacrifice for the future, due to his economic policies that “don’t have a human face”.
Dalung argued that people are in hardship and dying of hunger due to the current hardship facing the nation that needs to be addressed.
He said, “The promise that Nigerians can sacrifice for the future is unattainable, and it makes him look like a wicked leader, he must redeem his name because people are dying of hunger, and you are asking them to sacrifice. So if they sacrifice and all die, who will see the future?
“He needs to save lives first before he talks about economic policies, His economic policies should have a human face. Otherwise, he will end up like Buhari.“