Eradiri rejects subsidy return, demands refinery overhaul
Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Udengs Eradiri, has rejected calls for the return of fuel subsidy, urging President Bola Tinubu to redirect savings from its removal towards reviving Nigeria’s refineries and strengthening local government autonomy.
Eradiri said the subsidy regime had failed to deliver meaningful relief to Nigerians, arguing that restoring it would only perpetuate a system that had not achieved its intended purpose.
Etim Ekpimah
Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Udengs Eradiri, has rejected calls for the return of fuel subsidy, urging President Bola Tinubu to redirect savings from its removal towards reviving Nigeria’s refineries and strengthening local government autonomy.
Eradiri said the subsidy regime had failed to deliver meaningful relief to Nigerians, arguing that restoring it would only perpetuate a system that had not achieved its intended purpose.
He instead urged the Federal Government to invest the savings from subsidy removal in measures capable of lowering the cost of living, particularly by ensuring that government-owned refineries operate at full capacity.
“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,” he said.
Eradiri said increasing domestic refining capacity would boost petrol supply, reduce dependence on imported refined products and ultimately exert downward pressure on pump prices and 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.
He also suggested the creation of a separate Ministry of Refineries to ensure sustained attention to the challenges confronting government-owned refineries.
“The essence of getting the refineries to work is to create excess supply of petrol that will force down the prices and create a ripple effect on goods and services. That is where the common man will benefit,” Eradiri said.
The former IYC president also criticised state governors over what he described as their failure to fully implement the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
He argued that the gains of the Federal Government’s economic reforms would remain limited if funds meant for local governments continued to be controlled at the state level.
“The gains of the ongoing economic reforms by the President seem to be frustrated by the governors, the majority of whom have refused to implement the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy,” he said.
Eradiri called for local government elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying this would reduce the influence of state governors over council administrations.
“It is time for the government to take over local government administration to ensure it is another independent tier of government and ensure that the elections are conducted by INEC to enable their money to go directly to the councils,” he said.
He further urged the Presidency to establish a framework to guide local governments in using their allocations for projects with direct economic and social benefits to residents.
According to him, properly managed council funds could finance community and farm roads, as well as other basic infrastructure needed to improve livelihoods in rural areas.
“Local government funds of today can build community roads, farm roads and other things that can make a positive impact,” he said.
Eradiri alleged that some governors continued to control local government finances through their influence over council chairmen, undermining the purpose of direct allocations to 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 said the situation was particularly troubling because the Federal Government was making increased financial resources available to states without a corresponding improvement in citizens’ welfare.
“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.
