• Tinubu listens to Nigerians before adjusting policies, says minister 

Association of Former Presidential Candidates of Nigeria (AFPCN) has asked President Bola Tinubu to reverse the removal of fuel subsidy, saying Nigerians have suffered enough from rising prices of food, transportation and essential services.

This was as the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, described the proposal by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, to restore petrol subsidy as a political strategy.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said Tinubu listens to Nigerians and considers their feedback before adjusting government policies where necessary.
AFPCN, during a briefing on the state of the nation in Abuja, yesterday, questioned the impact of increased government revenue on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

Speaking at the briefing, the chairman of the association, Dr Abraham Breakforth, said the government could not continue to report increased revenue while citizens struggle with worsening living conditions.

Breakforth said the revenue generated by the Federal Government must be channelled towards reducing the hardship confronting Nigerians.

The association also called on Tinubu to introduce measures to reduce the cost of food and essential services, arguing that increased revenue should translate into tangible relief for citizens.

Director-General of the association, Dr Moses Ayibiowu, said the government could not continue to declare increased revenue generation while Nigerians were struggling to survive. He said petrol prices, which continue to fluctuate, have placed additional pressure on households and businesses.

SPEAKING during an interview on AriseTV on Monday, Fayemi likened Atiku’s plan to return subsidy to the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 presidential election.

“My take is that Atiku’s proposal on subsidy is the political equivalent of our own Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023. It’s a political strategy. It’s not an economic construct,” he said.

In 2023, Tinubu picked Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim from the northern part of the country, as his running mate. The decision generated controversy, with critics arguing that the ticket failed to reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.

Tinubu had criticised Atiku’s proposal, describing it as evidence of “serious ignorance” of governance and the economy.

But Atiku rejected the criticism, noting that his proposal was not a return to the old subsidy regime but a targeted, capped, budgeted and independently audited intervention to support domestic production.

Fayemi said he remained an advocate of subsidy removal, noting that he had spent years supporting efforts to end the policy.

Atiku’s camp eventually hit back at Fayemi.

In a statement yesterday, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, described Fayemi’s attempt to liken Atiku’s fuel subsidy proposal to the APC Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 election as a flawed argument that avoids the substance of the economic debate.

He stressed that the critical issue was not whether Atiku’s proposal had political implications but whether the policy was economically viable.

According to Ibe, Atiku was not advocating a return to the former subsidy regime, which he said was characterised by opacity, questionable import claims and alleged corruption.

He explained that Atiku’s proposal was based on a production-anchored subsidy model designed around domestic production and refining.

IDRIS disclosed that Tinubu’s feedback approach reflects his willingness to listen to Nigerians and respond to their concerns as his administration implements its policies.

He spoke in Abuja yesterday when a delegation from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), led by its Director-General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, visited his ministry.

According to him, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation is not only responsible for communicating government policies but also for relaying citizens’ views back to the administration.

“When I sit with him (Tinubu), the first question he asks is: ‘What are Nigerians saying?’” the minister said.

He explained that the President’s interest in public opinion meant that governance remained an evolving process, with room for adjustments when circumstances demanded them.

Earlier, Omotayo had said NIPSS selected the creative economy, known as the “Orange Economy”, as the theme for this year’s senior executive course.

He said the research would examine the opportunities and challenges within the sector and its potential contribution to Tinubu’s ambition of building a trillion-dollar economy.

Omotayo noted that the course participants had visited seven Nigerian states and many countries to study creative industries and gather data for the research.

He disclosed that NIPSS was also planning a National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy to bring stakeholders together and highlight the sector’s potential.