The Federal Government says it will end payment of fuel subsidies by 2023, OduNews reports.
The Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a press conference to mark the end of the 28th National Economic Summit.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that fuel subsidy gulped N2.565tn between January and August 2022.
Also, in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, the Federal Government proposed to spend N3.3tn on fuel subsidy between January and June 2023.
According to Ahmed, the removal of fuel subsidy is part of the FG’s medium-term plan in the budget.
She, however, said that the challenge was how to go about removing the subsidy.
“First, we have to engage. We have already engaged with the states and the public before it was approved as part of the medium-term plan.
“We have to do it by systematically informing the citizens about the fuel subsidy’s size and quantum.
“We also have to educate them about the opportunity cost of what we are unable to do because of the fuel subsidy,” she said.
According to the minister, the fuel subsidy and the budget deficit are putting enormous pressure on the “fiscals”.
“It is not money that we have; it is money that we have to borrow to maintain the fuel subsidy.
“Some countries introduced subsidy during the COVID-19, and because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but they are using their money to fund such subsidy.
“In our case, we are borrowing to pay the subsidy; that is double jeopardy. It is something that has to stop
“We are glad that the majority of people in decision-making positions, including the political parties, have agreed that subsidy is not sustainable.
”The plan is, by June 2023, we must have completely exited subsidy, and it has to be a gradual process,” she said.
