Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has vehemently criticised the fuel subsidy, denouncing it as a scam and asserting that its removal by President Bola Tinubu would greatly enhance the lives of numerous Nigerians.

The governor spoke to journalists on Wednesday after participating in the two-Rakat prayer to commemorate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir at the Lantoro praying ground in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

It should be noted that the governor previously served as the chairman of the Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria.

He stated that eliminating the subsidy would generate additional funds for the Federal Government to address the needs of Nigerians.

Urging Nigerians to exercise patience during this transitional phase, the governor argued that the current hardships are temporary consequences of removing the fuel subsidy.

Abiodun further contended that the subsidy had to be abolished for Nigeria’s economy to thrive, as it failed to benefit the Nigerian people and instead incurred substantial revenue losses due to corruption within the subsidy regime.

He said, “I want to assure Nigerians that the current administration — both at the state and national — would significantly improve the lot of Nigerians. When leadership is provided, the challenges of Nigeria are not unsurmountable. There is nothing that can be achieved without some pain.

“The issue of fuel subsidy, you could see, for instance, that smuggling has gone down. Because fuel subsidy is not being enjoyed by Nigerians, more money will be now in the pocket of the Federal Government in order to be able to take care of the masses.

“An example I will give to you is that you will notice that NNPC was supposed to be remitting money into the federation account for the tiers of government to be shared as federal allocation, but because of the scam called fuel subsidy, not only was the NNPC failing to remit, it was also telling the Federal Government that the nation is indebted to it (NNPC).

“Every good thing will come with some little pain, but what is important is that you could see a clear direction that Bola Tinubu is providing the leadership as President, and by providing that leadership, every other thing will fall into place. There is no better time to make those difficult but very necessary decisions. In another six months, one year we will begin to see the benefits.

Touching on the topic of the exchange rate, Abiodun revealed alleged instances of unscrupulous intermediaries taking advantage of the situation. He claimed that such individuals purchased dollars at lower rates and resold them on the open market, without the average Nigerian reaping any benefits.

During the prayer session led by Chief Imam Saad Bamgbola, the faithful were reminded of their obligations to their faith and encouraged to shun actions that could tarnish the reputation of their religion.