Fuel Subsidy: Corruption is the Elephant in the Room
Following the national debate that the recent removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government generated, the Network for Democracy and Development (NDD), a civil society organisation, embarked on extensive consultation among its stakeholders across the country. The following communiqué which was issued at the end of the consultation represents our position on the new policy. *Observations and Issues of Concern:* 1. The decades-long debate about subsidy in the oil industry took a new twist with the decision of the administration of the former President Muhammadu Buhari to discontinue appropriation for fuel subsidy by the end of June 2023. 2. The leading candidates in the last presidential election made removal of fuel subsidy a key component of their manifestoes. However, Nigerians were not provided sufficient information about how the removal of fuel subsidy and its ramifications would be managed if they were given the mandate to lead the country. 3. Subsidy in one form or another is...