The governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki has castigated the federal government for being quick to remove subsidy on petrol but too deficient come up with clear plans on what to do after the subsidy removal.
Obaseki, who stated this in Benin while addressing journalist, said the government is bereft of clear plans to effectively respond to the fuel subsidy removal that has further impoverished Nigerians and inflicted hardship and suffering on them.
“I am shocked that people who campaigned around the country, saying that they will remove subsidies, had no clear plans on what to do after subsidy removal. They don’t know what to do and how to support those who will be victims of subsidy removal.
“I am shocked and scared of what we are passing through today, where the government doesn’t seem to have a plan or solution on how to respond to the consequences of the policy measure put in place by their administration.
“With the way they have mismanaged our national economy, we have to deal with inflation, between 20 and 25 per cent. It means that the people will feel more pain, especially the weak and vulnerable in the society, particularly our pensioners, as whatever they get as their entitlement will do only little for them.
He said he had raised the alarm following the mismanagement of the country’s economy that the situation was taking a turn for the worse due to bad policies by the federal government.
“I have always warned. I warned Nigerians during the last May Day this year. I told them that we have come to the end of the road and that the old economic order in Nigeria is gone and we have to come up with a new economic order and stop deceiving ourselves as a nation.
“Now the subsidy is gone; the exchange rate is being aligned. The era of free money has almost come to an end. The consequence is that the weakest and most vulnerable in our society, unfortunately, will carry a huge part of the burden of these policies.”
The governor also stated that the government’s palliative measures so far are fraudulent and assured Edo citizens that his administration would not leave them high and dry.
“For us in Edo State, we would not abandon you. We don’t like the word palliative because it is deceitful as we would rather use the word ‘support’. We would support those who are already victims of this policy measure,” he added.
