Sophia Michaels
Popular Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev Fr Chinenye Oluoma has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s plan to share N8,000 to 12 million Nigerians.
According to him, the idea is “a puerile, penny wise pound foolish economics”.
Oluoma urged Tinubu to rather use the money to provide “palliative transportation” for the masses and special groups like students and farmers while working on long-term plans.
The cleric gave the advice in a post via his verified Facebook page on Monday.
Oluoma, who said he is a staunch supporter of fuel subsidy removal because of the ‘demonic’ corruption it portends, insisted that investing the money from subsidy into job-creating ventures like transportation and agriculture is the most appropriate thing to do.
He wrote, “I am a supporter of the removal of fuel subsidy for obvious reasons. Aside from the demonic corruption in it, which every government have been powerless to exorcise, investing the money from subsidy into job-creating ventures like transportation and agriculture is the most important justification for its removal.
“Make buses available for commuters at local government levels, make special trucks available for the transportation of farm produce, or better still, work with commercial farmers to identify their regular transporters and subsidize fuel or diesel for their haulage vehicles and ensure they don’t add a kobo to what they charge farmers and traders.
“These are the most feasible, simple and practicable short-term measure that makes sense. How could the government not see the futility and waste in sharing “peanuts” to people who will finish the money in less than a week?
“It’s not even the case that you can trust those who will share the money to do it honestly and equitably. The corruption in fuel subsidy is child play compared to the one in sharing 8k to 12 million Nigerians. Government should please perish that idea, it is a puerile, penny-wise pound foolish economics.
“President Tinubu should not entertain this idea at all, he should use that money and provide “palliative transportation” vehicles for the masses and special groups like students and farmers while working on long-term plans.
”Sharing 8k is completely a ‘town hall’ economics NOT different from balablu and hullabaloo.”
