Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, says state governors, rather
than President Bola Tinubu, should explain how the gains from the removal of
petrol subsidy are being spent.
Abiodun spoke on Thursday during a rally held by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in
Ijebu-Ode.
He said governors are better placed to account for the gains
because the funds have increased allocations to states, which he said have been
used to finance infrastructural projects.
“They said they want to return the subsidy. Are they mad?
They were asking our leader to explain what he did with subsidy removal gains,”
he said in Yoruba.
“It is we (governors) that should make such explanations
because it is we, state governors, that collect the money.
“Besides, what have we been using to build roads, schools,
provide good housing and incentives for farmers? Isn’t it from subsidy?”
Abiodun also dismissed the opposition’s chances in the 2027
elections, boasting that the APC would defeat its rivals.
“Go and tell your people that all of them are not up to one.
We will defeat them mercilessly,” he said.
The debate over subsidy gains has intensified in recent
weeks, with opposition politicians, including Atiku Abubakar, presidential
candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), criticising the Tinubu
administration over its handling of the funds saved from subsidy removal.
Atiku has vowed to restore the subsidy if elected, saying
the Tinubu administration has failed to account for the savings from its
removal.
Tinubu, however, dismissed Atiku’s proposal as evidence of
“serious ignorance of governance and economy”, saying some states struggled to
pay salaries and pensions before he assumed office.
On August 19, Taiwo Oyedele, minister of finance and
coordinating minister of the economy, said the removal of the subsidy had
mobilised N15.8 trillion for the federation between June 2023 and December
2025.
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