Subsidy Removal Right Move, Wrong Execution – Ezekwesili says
Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said the removal of fuel subsidy by the Tinubu administration was a necessary reform but poorly executed.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Enugu on Monday, she argued that while subsidy removal was inevitable, it was not properly planned and has deepened inflation, worsening the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
Ezekwesili stressed that economic reforms must be well-sequenced and designed to cushion the impact on vulnerable groups. She faulted the abrupt manner of the announcement, which she said immediately pushed many households into hardship.
“It is possible to implement the right policy in the wrong way. When that happens, the results can be counterproductive.
“The fuel subsidy removal was a good reform, but it was not properly prepared for. Inflation is punishing the populace, especially the poor,” she said.
