Udengs Eradiri rejects Atiku’s fuel subsidy proposal, urging Tinubu to revive refineries and enforce local government autonomy.
Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Mr Udengs Eradiri, has rejected former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s call for the return of fuel subsidy, urging President Bola Tinubu to redirect savings from its removal into revamping Nigeria’s refineries and strengthening local government autonomy.
Eradiri argued that the subsidy regime failed to achieve its intended objective of cushioning the economic hardship faced by Nigerians, insisting that returning to the policy would not address the country’s economic challenges.
He urged the federal government to deploy resources saved from subsidy removal to projects that would directly reduce the cost of living and improve the welfare of citizens.
“I disagree with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to return fuel subsidy. I think that the intended objective of having the fuel subsidy in the first place was not achieved, as it failed to bring succour to the people,” Eradiri said.
According to him, the immediate priority should be to ensure that all government-owned refineries operate at full capacity, arguing that increased domestic production of petroleum products would boost supply, reduce petrol prices and eventually lower the cost of goods and services.
“I welcome the move by the President to ensure that all our refineries are performing at full capacity. He should direct the Petroleum Minister to relocate to the areas where our refineries are located and give them a timeframe to make them work,” he said.
Eradiri also proposed the establishment of a separate Ministry of Refineries to ensure sustained government attention to the rehabilitation and operation of the facilities.
“It is also not out of place if the President creates a separate Ministry of Refineries to ensure absolute focus in tackling obstacles militating against our refineries’ growth and development,” he said.
He added that functional refineries would create excess supply of petrol, which could force down pump prices and trigger a reduction in the prices of goods and services.
“The essence of getting the refineries to work is to create excess supply of petrol that will force down the prices to create a spiral effect on goods and services. That is where the common man will benefit,” he said.
The former IYC president also accused state governors of frustrating the gains of the federal government’s economic reforms, particularly through their alleged failure to fully implement the Supreme Court judgment affirming local government autonomy.
He called on the federal government to take decisive measures to ensure that local governments function as an independent tier of government, with their statutory allocations paid directly to them.
“The gains of the ongoing economic reforms by the President seem to be frustrated by the governors, majority of whom have refused to implement the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy,” Eradiri said.
He further advocated for local government elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that this would reduce governors’ control over elected council chairmen and strengthen the independence of the councils.
“It is time for the government to take over the local government administration to ensure it is another independent arm of government and ensure that the elections are conducted by INEC to enable their monies go directly to the councils,” he said.
Eradiri also urged the Presidency to develop a framework guiding local governments on the deployment of their allocations to projects with direct impact on citizens.
He said council funds could be channelled into community and farm roads, as well as other basic infrastructure capable of improving livelihoods at the grassroots.
“Local government funds of today can build community roads, farm roads and other things that can make positive impact,” he said.
Eradiri alleged that some governors continued to control local government finances by influencing council chairmen, thereby undermining the autonomy of the third tier of government.
“Many of these governors don’t allow these monies to get to the local government because they still control their chairmen. They conduct the elections and tell the local government chairmen their shares of their allocations,” he alleged.
He expressed concern that despite increased financial resources accruing to states, the impact was not sufficiently reflected in the living conditions of citizens.
“The President cannot be working hard and his hard work will be sabotaged by the incompetence and greed of the governors.
“It is becoming painful that the President is working hard and putting a lot of money in states but this money is not reflecting in the lives of the people. The strategy must change,” Eradiri said.
