Minister Tells How Obaseki Benefited From Fuel Subsidy Removal, Gov’s Claims False

Mallam Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information & National Orientation has explained Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki is one the major beneficiaries of fuel subsidy removal.

The minister also provided reasons why Obaseki’s claims against the federal government are untrue.

“For perspective, Edo State, under Governor Obaseki’s leadership, has notably benefited from the fuel subsidy removal, which is evident in the more than doubling of the FAAC allocation between June and July 2023 to Edo State – more than it had ever received pre-fuel subsidy removal” Idris disclosed on Thursday.

The Minister urged that  “rather than delving into narratives which do not provide the complete picture, the focus should be on how the Edo State Government will be using available resources to drive impactful projects that genuinely uplift the people of Edo State”

Providing further insight, the Minister stated that “Nationally, decisions led by President Tinubu are based on foresight, with the primary aim of engineering a resilient and sustainable economy. This vision is consistently echoed within the National Economic Council, where significant economic decisions are made.

We want to clearly state that Edo State, alongside other 35 States plus FCT, can access more FAAC revenue, due only to the bold and courageous economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office. These decisions have been applauded across the globe because they are the decisions that needed to be taken to reposition the national economy for better output.”

Idris accused Obseki of using the nation’s economic challenges as “cannon fodder to divert attention from his poor performance at the state level” in the statement he signed.

Although the Minister stated “We are still at a loss on what could be the trigger for Governor Obaseki to issue such blatantly false accusations against the Federal Government”, he provided a bit of background.

“Constitutionally, Governor Obaseki is a member of the National Economic Council (NEC) where far-reaching decisions were taken on the issues he talked about, in his media address by his colleagues, while sitting in-Council with the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. Even as Governor Obaseki will have an explanation to make to the people of his state on why he was absent at the two NEC meetings under the current administration, we will like to inform him that his colleagues praised President Tinubu for finding the courage to remove the ghost of fuel subsidy which crippled the finances of the 3 tiers of government for decades. It would be helpful if Governor Obaseki participated in these meetings to provide insights and align with the collective vision.” the Minister disclosed in the statement available to SocietyNow.Ng.

Idris pulled rugs on Obaseki’s allegations themed the federal government lacks plans for Nigerians after ending fuel subsidy by detailing some of the significant steps taken so far by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“At the last NEC meeting which took place last week, the council took far-reaching decisions on many interventions to help households, contrary to the wrong impression being created by Governor Obaseki. One of the decisions was an approval for the immediate disbursement of N5billion to each of the states to procure food items for onward distribution to families, while the states are working to clean up the social registers for cash transfers that will benefit up to 20 million of the most vulnerable Nigerians. The NEC also constituted a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage with the Labour Unions and the general upward review of salary for public sector workers as part of plans to address the rising cost of living and help working people to maintain a decent living standard. This is apart from ongoing plans to provide 11,500 CNG powered mass transit vehicles for affordable public transportation, supply of fertilizers to farmers, and support for farmers to cultivate 500,000 hectares of arable land to plant staple crops for consumption and industrial use.” the minister revealed.

He further assured that “the Federal Government understands the current difficulties Nigerians are facing and is working very hard with the states and local governments to bring succour to our people” and added that ” President Tinubu is guiding our country through very challenging times. We are supremely confident that we will soon turn the corner into a prosperous future.”

Urging for a collective effort in changing the fortune of Nigeria for the better, the Minister of Information and National Orientation pointed out that” “what is required at this time is for leaders at all levels to cooperatively bind together to make life better for Nigerians, not to play cheap politics that serves no better purpose.

As President Tinubu has admonished, the time for politics and politicking is over. We are now in the season of the serious business of governance to build a stronger, more viable, socially cohesive and more prosperous Nigeria.”