Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to tender unreserved apologies for “misleading Nigerians” and failing to offer an alternative economic blueprint for the nation.
Nkem-Abonta, who represents Ukwa East/West Federal Constituency of Abia State, also asked the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to “borrow ideas” from the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to cushion the effect of the deregulation of the petroleum sector.
“They must apologise to Nigerians as a whole for the destructive position they took in 2012 when they spent billions of naira to sponsor protests under “Occupy Nigeria” group without any sense of economic reasoning and bases, and kicked against the change in the oil pump price then.
“So, what changed between 2012 and now that will require the recent astronomical increase in the pump price of petroleum products to N145 if not that they have clearly exhibited ignorance and lack of economic reasoning?”
However, Nkem-Abonta, who hailed the removal of oil subsidy, while also advocating a total deregulation in Nigeria, said the decision was long overdue in view of the economic challenges weighing down the country, adding that, “you cannot run our (Nigeria) economy with subsidy, it is not progressive.
“Subsidy is only to the benefit of our brother countries and the rich men. It is meant for the enrichment of the haves and not the less privileged. Therefore, subsidy ought to be removed if there will be any meaningful progress in our economy.” He further came hard on the APC for what he con sidered “wrongful criticisms” of policies of the immediate past government which, he said was done out of mischief and blackmail in order to destroy it, saying the party has failed to canvass any new economic ideology.
“From the facts available to us, it shows that this present administration has no economic plan rather than to continue what the immediate past administration had done. To date, tell me what they have done that is not what President Jonathan started. Is the fuel subsidy removal now a new economic agenda? No! They should look at those good areas Jonathan excelled, capitalise on it and continue from there,” he said.
He, therefore, called on the President Buhari to feel free to “go for those persons who ran the economy under Jonathan, and take them as consultants if they don’t want to engage them purely, to run the sector.
He shouldn’t condemn all. This is so that Nigerians will have a sense of belonging and enjoy this our nascent democracy.” On strategies to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal, he specifically urged the government to study, modify and improve on the palliative measures put in place by the PDP administration especially in the areas of improved transportation. He said the government
