Abeokuta, June 7, 2023 – Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, on Wednesday promised to implement measures to relieve harsh effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on workers in the state.
The governor made the promise at a meeting with labour leaders in Abeokuta on Wednresday.
He said the removal of petrol subsidy would no doubt, have harsh effects on Nigerians especially disposable income earners, and promised to find ways of cushioning the impact on the residents in the state.
“I called this meeting so that we can rob minds to find different options in view of the recently announced long-awaited deregulation of the Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We are not, as a responsible administration, unmindful of the consequences that the regulation would cause in terms of its effect on the disposable income of the workers.
“We have noted that the price of petrol is now N500 from slightly above N200.
“There is a relationship between the cost of PMS and transportation and cost of transportation and cost of goods and services.
“Since the announcement, as the governor and a player in the industry, I have been concerned on the multiplier effects as it would affect workers going to and from work and how it would affect their responsibilities and wellbeing,” the governor noted.
He said both the government and labour leaders needed to sit and come up with implementable options that would make life bearable for the people.
The governor said labour leaders should not see the plan of the government as compensation for the increase in the price of products, but to reduce the impact.
“What obtained in the past was that N4 trillion was spent annually. We had to borrow the money to subsidize our energy cost and it was not efficiently utilized.
“Our petrol made their way to Cameroon, Benin Republic, Togo and other West African countries around us.
“We are confident that with this action, we can know the true consumption of PMS in Nigeria and the savings can be used for other sectors for the benefit of our people,” he said. (GBN)
