History Will Be Kind To Buhari For Fuel Price, Electricity Tariff Increase - Presidency

The Presidency said history will be kind to President Muhammadu Buhari for increasing electricity tariffs, increasing fuel price, and removing fuel subsidy - all of which have increased the cost of living of Nigerians and reduced workers' earnings.

In a statement released by the Presidency, it was claimed that the several increases and removal of fuel subsidy was a tough decision that other administration before President Buhari couldn't confidently take. And for the good of the people, President Buhari made the decisions.

Austerity Measures Taken For Good Of Nigerians

AllNews had already reported that Nigeria's Finance Minister, Ahmed Zainab, said the misery of Nigerians will increase in 2020. Since the statement was made, President Buhari's administration has adopted austerity measures.

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President Buhari has increased taxes, created new taxes, and increased fuel price, electricity tariff. Also, the National Assembly is also planning to monetise the usage of private water in the country, to mandate households to obtain license before drilling borehole, and also determine the extent of their water usage.

The Presidency praised the decisions of President Buhari in the five years he's been in power, even though Nigeria went into recession in his first term, and the country has again been projected to slide into another recession in 2020. The impending recession is expected to be the worst in the history of Nigeria according to the World Bank.

What The Presidency Said In Statement

In the statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency said, “The All Progressives Congress, APC came to power in 2015 defeating an incumbent administration amidst very high expectations from President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Five years on, the administration has worked hard to meet many expectations, but still, there are certain tough decisions that had to be taken to put back the country on the path of sustainable development.

“To stop the mismanagement of taxpayer money, eliminate corruption associated with subsidies on petroleum products, power, fertilizer among others, the administration took the decision to implement long-delayed reforms, withdraw and allow the market to determine their prices.

“Subsidy removal in these sectors had long been foreseen by successive administrations as game changers in search of solutions to move forward with the nation’s development. These are reforms that are necessary and overdue. Blueprint upon blueprint, timeline upon timeline had come and gone but the courage to take bold decisions was not there.

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“Over the last few days, one claim acquiring a potent resonance with the online community, sections of the labour movement and the opposition is that the actions are ill-timed and ill-advised.

“There is nothing new in the fact that the country is today fighting multiple challenges along with COVID-19, including low earnings, near-collapse of the oil market, floods, threats of terrorism and banditry but the challenges notwithstanding, a good government must make decisions for the people’s good.

“As President, Muhammadu Buhari takes these difficult decisions, both popular and unpopular, and as a leader because he is demonstrating the right courage to take such decisions as they become necessary in view of present circumstances.

“History will be kind to President Buhari because, in addition to his amazing ability to command votes, he will be remembered as the President who made real contributions to economic and overall national development by eliminating the evils of corruption embedded in subsidies.

“In any democracy, the most important certificate in governance is acceptance by the people and, with the support of ordinary Nigerians, President Buhari has shown a rare determination to carry out the bold initiatives as these ones driven by nothing other than the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

“In these challenging times, the President is pushing development goals, not politics and history will judge him in favourable terms rather than his critics in the new media and the opposition” the statement reads.