Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa state, expressed his disagreement with the notion that the proposed N8,000 palliative from the Federal Government would not sufficiently alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on impoverished Nigerians.
He made this statement during an interview with Channels TV on Friday. Last week, President Bola Tinubu requested the approval of an $800 million loan from the national assembly to mitigate the hardships caused by the removal of petrol subsidy. Tinubu stated that 12 million households would receive a monthly sum of N8,000 from the loan obtained from the World Bank. Although the president later ordered a reconsideration of the proposed scheme, it continues to face criticism from numerous Nigerians who view the conditional cash transfer as unsustainable. Joining the debate, Governor Sule emphasized the importance of the proposed amount to “many individuals from extremely impoverished families.”
He explained that while N8,000 might not be a significant sum to some, it holds great value to those who do not have regular access to such funds. Governor Sule emphasized the necessity of identifying these families, citing examples of communities that were able to make meaningful contributions with a previous monthly allocation of N5,000. He concluded by emphasizing the importance of identifying and assisting these vulnerable households.
