Subsidy Removal: APC Chieftain Faults N8,000 Monthly Palliative

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Garus Gololo (rtd) has faulted the proposed distribution of N8,000 monthly to 12 million households as palliative to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

President Tinubu had written to the House of Representatives requesting N500 billion from the 2022 supplementary budget to provide palliatives over fuel subsidy removal impact.

Gololo who was a member of the APC Board of Trustees called on the present administration to be careful not to make the same mistake made by its predecessor on the issue of palliative sharing to Nigerians.

He said although palliatives is a good thing, since it would cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, President Tinubu should beware of the banana peel that is about to consume one of former president Muhammad Buhari’s ministers.

“Many Nigerians still call for her head over the diverted coronavirus palliative funds. Many are still calling for the head of former vice president Yemi Osinbajo over the N5,000 promised to be given to aged men and women during the last administration. What about the school feeding program?” he said.

The APC former board of trustees member suggested that instead of distributing the money, it should be used to create jobs through refurbishing of the refineries or putting up industries to help employ youths and school leavers.

“The money is enough to put up inter-city or metro rail lines to help workers and the masses on transportation. For instance, we used to have a mass transportation system in the FCT during the administration of Mallam El-rufai, but immediately after he left office the vehicles were packed due to mismanagement.

“There is no help and poverty alleviation in N8,000 monthly, especially when we do not have the demographic means of determining beneficiaries. The money to me is nothing. Or they can increase it and make sure that N100,000 minimum wage workers is paid and ensure that it is steady for at least four years. By such, it would affect lives positively,” he said.

Gololo, while speaking on Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar’s Peace Accord, said it had since lost its value and become obsolete.