President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his government will not scrap fuel subsidy soon as current realities make it impossible to do so.
The president also mocked calls by western institutions for Nigeria to end the expensive payments, saying such calls had become hypocritical as western countries are now paying subsidies.
The president said this in written answers he sent to Bloomberg in response to the organisation’s questions. The interview was published Tuesday.
“Most western countries are today implementing fuel subsidies. Why would we remove ours now? What is good for the goose is good for the gander?” he asked.
“What our western allies are learning the hard way is what looks good on paper and the human consequences are two different things. My government set in motion plans to remove the subsidy late last year. After further consultation with stakeholders, and as events unfolded this year, such a move became increasingly untenable….
