Gumi Defends Tinubu’s Subsidy Removal, Calls For More Support For Poor Nigerians

Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy after assuming office in 2023, warning that restoring the policy without addressing corruption could encourage the diversion of public funds.

Gumi made his position known during an interview with PAPShow while reacting to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s promise to reinstate petrol subsidy if elected president.

The cleric argued that bringing back the subsidy would not necessarily benefit Nigerians, particularly if the government failed to tackle corruption within the system.

According to him, reopening the subsidy arrangement without first addressing financial irregularities could create another opportunity for the mismanagement and diversion of public resources.

However, Gumi acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy without adequate measures to protect low-income earners had increased economic hardship for vulnerable Nigerians.

He maintained that although removing subsidies was not necessarily a wrong policy decision, the government had a responsibility to introduce effective social intervention programmes to cushion the impact on ordinary citizens.

The cleric consequently urged the Federal Government to increase social spending and ensure that the resources saved from subsidy removal translate into meaningful support for struggling Nigerians.

Gumi stressed that restoring petrol subsidy without addressing what he described as endemic corruption would amount to wasting public funds.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the cleric’s comments have added another dimension to the ongoing debate over petrol subsidy, with political leaders expressing different positions on whether the policy should be retained, abolished or reinstated.

While Gumi supports the decision to remove the subsidy, he has emphasised that the government must address corruption and provide adequate economic relief for Nigerians bearing the consequences of the policy.