The former governor of Anambra State and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi on Tuesday supported the removal of subsidy, saying he once supported the move right from the former President Goodluck Jonathan era, when he was a member of the Economic Management Team.
Obi said, “The problem in Nigeria is that often the government tells the masses to suffer and sacrifice for a better future, but in the future, things get worse.”
Obi said he had consistently maintained that subsidy should be removed because it was organized crime.
Obi, in a post via his verified Twitter handle argued that “People were just stealing the resources of the country, pointing out that Nigerians were not consuming the amount of fuel they claimed they consumed.”
He said, “If you have followed me very well right from the time I was a member of Jonathan’s economic management team, I consistently maintained that subsidy should be removed because I see it as organized crime.
“If you read my manifesto, you will see clearly how I planned to remove subsidies. I will govern with the people and show them statistically and empirically what we are going to save, and what we are going to do with the savings to better the suffering masses.
“The problem in Nigeria is that, often the government tells the masses to suffer and sacrifice, for a better future; but in the future things get worse.”