Nigerians are afraid that the government deferred the removal of subsidy to give the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the leeway to win the 2023 presidency after which it would implement the removal of subsidy.
The Federal Government had on Monday suspended fuel subsidy removal, pushing it by 18 months.
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, in an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, said the deferral of subsidy removal was a necessary thing to do, but said it was not because of the 2023 elections.
He said the decision to suspend the fuel subsidy removal was undertaken because the timing was not auspicious, as inflation was still high.
According to Adesina, in the past eight months, the nation saw a reduction in inflation, but it went up last month, adding that further consultations needed to happen with all stakeholders.
Adesina acknowledged that politics was part of people’s lives, but said the election would just be one event in the life of the country.
He, however, said, whether the subsidy was removed or not would have a serious impact on the nation’s economy.
