Key Highlights
- Shehu said APC would have lost the election if former President Buhari had removed the petrol subsidy and unified the exchange rate before the 2023 polls.
- He pointed out that people seem to have forgotten that the massive electricity subsidy, the fraudulent fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian Pilgrim subsidies, diesel subsidy, aviation fuel subsidy, Kerosene, cooking gas and the other subsidy policies, which were all in place by May 2015, had all been removed by former President Buhari before he left office.
- He also accused the ruling APC of failing to speak up, prompting him to talk.
Garba Shehu, a former Senior Special Assistant to the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, has explained the reason why the former Nigerian leader did not remove the petrol subsidy and unify the country’s foreign exchange rates.
Shehu said that they were put on hold for a better time, noting that various polls showed that President Bola Tinubu would have lost the 2023 election if the 2 critical policies were implemented.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by Shehu on Monday, June 26, 2023, where he stated that no responsible leader would have done that at a time when tensions were high.
Shehu pointed out the massive electricity subsidy, the fraudulent fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian Pilgrim subsidies, diesel subsidy, aviation fuel subsidy, Kerosene, cooking gas and the other subsidy policies, which were all in place by May 2015, had all been removed by former President Buhari before he left office.
What the former Presidential Spokesman is saying
Shehu in the statement titled, ‘Buhari didn’t fail to remove subsidy’, said he had refrained himself from answering these repeated questions on the removal of petrol subsidy and that arising from the dual rates of the Naira in the Central Bank and the parallel market.
- He said, ‘’Why did it take the new Tinubu/ Shettima presidency weeks to remove the petrol subsidy when Buhari didn’t do so for years fails to ask the right question. The massive electricity subsidy.
- ‘’The fraudulent fertilizer subsidy. Hajj/Christian Pilgrim subsidies. Remember them? The diesel subsidy. The aviation fuel subsidy. LPFO. Kerosene. Cooking gas and the other subsidy policies we found in place and put them firmly on the ground. Remember them?
- ‘’For those with short memories, many of those subsidies were all in place when President Buhari was elected to office in 2015: all those in place were gone by May 2023 – including the annual fertilizer subsidy that weighed 60-100 billion Naira (that’s trillion naira in about 10 years – yes you read that right) heavy on the federal budget each year.
- ‘’So no, Buhari didn’t remove the petrol subsidy – but in vitally important stages he removed every other budget-busting, egregious, economic-growth-crushing subsidy along the way. So far I have refrained from answering these repeated questions on the removal in Nigeria of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit, PMS and that arising from the dual rates of the Naira in the Central Bank and the parallel market: Why did Buhari “fail” to do these?’’
APC failed to speak up
The former Presidential Spokesman said the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), who were best suited to speak up, failed to do so, prompting him to talk.
- He said, ‘’First of all, my thinking is that instead of the former President answering this question, it is the Party, the All Progressives Congress, APC that is best suited to speak and failing to do this, we are forced to say what will follow here.
- ‘’Secondly, we are mindful of the fact that with a Tinubu/Shettima presidency now in place and for which there is a “New Sheriff in Town.” We do not want to distract them from the onerous tasks facing them and the nation. Neither is it our wish to take the spotlight away from them in any way.
- ‘’In terms of the timings of the decisions to remove fuel subsidy and unify the currency, the Tinubu/Shettima administration has done overwhelmingly well. Even more importantly, they have been most dexterous in managing the aftermath of the decisions by successfully avoiding any crisis. To this extent, our wish and prayers are that fellow countrymen will continue to support the new leadership in these very laudable decisions and, in particular, for the Labour leadership and civil society to work with them to ensure that the palliative efforts as promised are successfully implemented.
- ‘’The decision to remove subsidies, as in our case – and we believe in all situations – was not for the President to take all by himself. That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves – and all those who have conveniently forgotten – that Buhari administration had been on this pathway from the very beginning in 2015.’’
APC would have been thrown out of office
- Shehu added, ‘’Removing subsidies for the Naira and PMS was cued and put on hold. Look for example in the Petroleum Industry Act. The important decision was kept for a better time. It could not have come at a time when tensions were high in the country and no responsible leader would have added fuel to the fire.
- ‘’In the view of many-including those in the security circles- only a new administration with a goodwill that fills a warehouse can attempt this, and here now comes in the wit and grit of the Tinubu government.
- ‘’Finally, we must be politically honest with ourselves. TheBuhari administration in its last days could not have gone the whole way because the APC had an election to win. And that would have been the case with any political party that was seeking election for another term with a new principal at its head.
- ‘’Poll after polls showed that the party would have been thrown out of office if the decision as envisaged by the new Petroleum Industry Act was made.
- ‘’With the election now behind us, a capable leader as we now have in place is best positioned to move forward. We have nothing but confidence that the new administration will carry the nation and all its constituents into a stable future in the aftermath of these major economic and financial decisions. As they say, there are times when you have to lose in order to win.’
Medicines after death. This is what Garba’s reaction is. There is no way that Tinubu would have lost as he would have countered the move by telling the electorates that he would reverse the situation when in power. He did this during the then President introduced the failed currency Swap and the time frame he put on the currency swap. The electorates especially those in Kaduna State, Kano State, Kogi State had a rethink and voted massively for Tinubu. The same would have happened if President Buhari had removed the fuel subsidy. It would have been perceived as an attempt by the then government to prevent Tinubu from winning. There would have been a positive backlash in favour of Tinubu.
Garba should go and enjoy his leave instead of trying to become relevant in the new dispensation. Or the power he has lost is painful to him so soon. If it is so, he should go to Osun State for Yoruba “Agbo” for pain relief.