NNPP chieftain tasks Tinubu on political solution to subsidy crisis

South-West leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Bisi Olopoeyan, yesterday, urged President Bola Tinubu to apply a political solution to the outcry over the removal of fuel subsidy before it degenerates.

Olopoeyan, in a chat with The Guardian, said the pains and agony triggered by the subsidy removal was becoming unbearable and could push Nigerians into an ugly situation if not addressed in time.

He said: “If the President cannot restore the subsidy by fiat with which he removed it in his inaugural broadcast, he should then apply political wisdom, otherwise, the sufferings in the country are too much.

“President Tinubu may need to go outside the box to look for a means to mitigate the pains Nigerians are currently going through. Cost of living is indescribable now.

“The President may need to engage other stakeholders outside his party and assemblage of experts to address the issue. I do not see the palliatives’ proposal resolving the issue. I also do not see the governors helping out.

“If it is not possible for him to reverse himself, then he needs to look for a serious and well thought-out political solution.” Olopoeyan, however, said no pain or hardship in this country could bring the military back to power.

“That’s impossible for now. No military can topple power in the country again but the experience of the #EndSARS protests should register in our minds. We cannot push our people to the wall and expect them not to react,” he noted. He said the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have the right to embark on industrial action but noted that there must not be violence.

On the planned Oyo State council election scheduled for April 2024, the NNPP stalwart dismissed the insinuation that he was being induced with cash by Governor Seyi Makinde to drag NNPP into the race to give the exercise credibility.

“I believe the NNPP can win some councils if it participates in the process and that’s the reason we joined. The governor and I never discussed anything. I also believe in the capacity of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections,” he said.