President Bola Tinubu defended the elimination of fuel subsidies by arguing that the nation cannot continue to support smugglers and play Santa Claus to its neighbours.
According to a statement from State House Director of Information Abiodun Oladunjoye, the President made this declaration during an interactive session with the Royal Fathers on Friday at the Aso Villa under the auspices of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN).
They were told by Tinubu of the plan to end fuel subsidies, enhance security, generate jobs, and protect the environment, as well as the upcoming election of the 10th National Assembly’s key offices.
‘‘I am grateful that you are paying attention to what I have been doing. You have paid attention to the subsidy removal. Why should we in good heart and sense, feed smugglers and be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries, even though they say not every day is Christmas?
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‘‘The elephant that was going to bring Nigeria to its knees is the subsidy. A country that cannot pay salaries and we say we have the potential to encourage ourselves. I think we did the right thing,’’ he said.
The President pleaded with the traditional leaders to convince Nigerians to have faith that the pump prices of fuel will eventually decline as several speakers at the conference supported the elimination of subsidies.
President Tinubu promised that his administration would remove any obstacles preventing the Nigerian people from progressing while noting concerns about the need for vital infrastructure in various regions of the nation.
‘‘The lamentations about the capital projects, where is the money going to come from if we don’t protect our resources and our boundaries?
‘‘You cannot have development without capital projects,’’ he said.
