Tapgun Faults Atiku’s Plan To Return Fuel Subsidy

A former governor of Plateau State, Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun, has said that any attempt to reintroduce fuel subsidy will cause a major setback for Nigeria.

Rather, he asked Nigerians to interrogate their state governors about what they had done with the humongous amount that had accrued to them from the removal of fuel subsidy

Tapgun frowned at the promise by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to restore the petroleum subsidy if elected in 2027.

Speaking to newsmen at his country home in Jos, Tapgun noted that the removal of subsidy by the current administration was one of the practical steps taken to salvage the ailing economy inherited from the previous administrations.

He asked where the former vice president intended to obtain the money to fund the subsidy if it were eventually restored.

According to him, returning to the subsidy regime would deepen Nigerians’ hardship and reverse the progress made by the current administration.

“Previous administrations lacked the courage to withdraw the subsidy, even the military couldn’t do it, but President Tinubu’s administration took the bull by the horns, and the country is mending.

“There’s no way the ADC presidential candidate can reverse it; it would be equivalent to taking the country backwards.

“The elimination of subsidy has brought a significant amount of money to states and local government for development, and I believe it is high time for Nigerians to question those at the helm of affairs at these levels about what they are doing with the resources at their disposal”

The former governor, who was Nigeria’s ambassador to Kenya and minister of industries, expressed regret that nothing on the ground, in terms of physical development, could justify the allocations the subnational had received thus far.

The former governor said that what the Tinubu administration could have done was to create a special account to fund the proceeds from subsidy removal, as was done during the President Goodluck Jonathan era, and release the same funds for specific projects instead of a wholesale release to state governments.

Tapgun absolved the federal government from any culpability in the misuse of the funds by state governments

“So, what are they doing with the money, and where is it? Since the funds are being provided to states and local governments, you cannot hold the federal government responsible in this situation. I believe Nigerians ought to ask questions because the federal allocations are increasing each month.”

Tapgun therefore asked Nigerians not to despair as the economic policies of the Tinubu-led administration would reposition the country, stressing that the sacrifices being made now are for the sake of future generations.

He said: “We have to make a sacrifice now for the sake of our future generations. Hunger cannot be totally defeated; it is just like a cancer, it cannot be cured completely, and it is a gradual process.

“President Tinubu has what it takes to reposition this country. Among these contestants, he’s the only one who has the courage and capacity to stir affairs of this nation at the moment. No one else can compete with him. He has the experience to manage the country. He’s better trained for Nigerian politics than any of them”

The former ambassador praised Tinubu’s economic policies, saying that no president could have had the nerve to take the hard decisions Tinubu took.

Tapgun counselled Nigerians not to believe in quick fixes as the recent sacrifices are worthwhile if Nigeria is to return to real economic progress.

He also said that those policies were enough to earn Tinubu a second term in office