Abia State Governor Alex Otti has defended the removal of petrol subsidy, saying government support should focus on production rather than subsidising fuel consumption.
Otti made the remarks during an exclusive interview with ARISE News on Friday while discussing the economic impact of subsidy removal and the debate over calls for its possible return.
He said he had consistently opposed fuel subsidy and had supported its removal before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended the policy in 2023.
The governor recalled that he had written in support of removing the subsidy in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global demand for crude oil had fallen sharply.
He argued that subsidising consumption could encourage waste and create opportunities for abuse, while government resources would be better directed towards productive sectors.
Otti acknowledged that removing the subsidy would initially create hardship for Nigerians but maintained that the policy was necessary.
He argued that consumers tend to use resources more efficiently when they bear the cost themselves, while businesses need reliable power and other infrastructure rather than consumption subsidies.
“As election approaches, people will be making all sorts of arguments, but removing the subsidy was the right thing to be done,” Otti said. “And I don’t think anybody who is praying that subsidy returns means well for the country.” He also described the former subsidy system as vulnerable to abuse and called it a “scam.”