Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr Peter Obi yesterday said the subsidy regime will go as soon as he becomes Nigeria’s president.
Obi, who also rolled out his plans on health and education among others, said he will end the policy on fuel subsidy.
The LP flag bearer described the payment of subsidies on fuel as “organised crime”.
“They have removed it. That’s what they’ve done. But I can assure you, it will go immediately. Subsidy – I’ve said it before – is organised crime and I will not allow it to stay a day longer,” he maintained at The People’s Townhall, a Channels TV Presidential Townhall Series.
“What they’re telling you is not what it is. Half of what is being mentioned is not subsidy. First is that we consume the quantity that is not supposed to be consumed here. We are the same population as Pakistan. They consume below 50 percent of what we consume.
“So, the first half, I will remove it and give those people who are drinking it water – because that’s what they’re supposed to drink – so we can save the money.”
The Townhall meeting was organised by the media organisation for presidential candidates and their running mates to present their programmes to Nigerians and for the citizens to ask questions on burning national issues.
On Nigeria’s debt burden, Obi said he will ensure the country does not borrow again adding that he will negotiate with the lenders to see how the debt can be paid without the country suffering.
On education, Obi said education is an investment adding that the more the people in the country are educated, the more productive they will be.
“Our universities today are poorly funded. We need to change the method of funding. The country must contribute to both public and private institutions. We will ensure a contribution to the education loan system that students can pay without putting a burden on their parents.
“There will be no strike again. Some universities in Pakistan have a population of over one million. If my running mate’s university is not closed, the public universities won’t be closed because he will tell us how he does it because he has a university,” Obi said.
On health, Obi said he came in as governor when there was nothing good about the health sector.
“No nursing school, there was no ambulance.
“We decided to buy 30 ambulances. We wasted the money for two years. We settled because we put the money where it was supposed to be invested,” Obi said, adding that budget for health and education is low in Nigeria.
“We are going to put the money where it can work. We will put money in both public and private hospitals because all of us will be treated here,” Obi said.
On governance, he said the critical people that will form his government will be the youth and women.
Obi who said he brought young people and women into government, urged Nigerians to look at his past.
“I’ve always maintained that we look into people’s past. As governor, I was about setting up a ministry of women affairs because women took over the government. For me, this government will be about women and youths,” Obi said, adding that he will present a bill at the National Assembly for women inclusion in politics, adding that it will pass.
Obi who said Nigeria has overtaken India in maternal mortality rate as a result of poverty, said one of the things that is killing Nigeria is corruption.
“When people have stolen the money and impoverished the country, Nigerians must be wise,” Obi said while reacting to a question that one of the presidential candidates said he was stingy.
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