Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has called on Nigerians to develop survival strategies in response to the economic challenges resulting from the removal of the petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Issa-Onilu made this appeal on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast show.
Issa-Onilu, who previously served as the spokesman for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warned that reinstating the subsidy, as demanded by #EndBadGovernance protesters, would exacerbate poverty rather than alleviate it.
“Anybody who is making a demand that subsidy removal should be brought back is making an emotional demand, not an economic demand because you have to also prove that if it is brought back, it will solve the issue of poverty; it will not, it will aggravate it,” he stated.
He emphasized the importance of focusing on strategies to survive without the subsidy, encouraging support for the government’s efforts in this direction.
“So, what we should be doing is: How do we survive in spite of the removal? We need to promote all the efforts of this government to ensure that we survive without that subsidy,” Issa-Onilu added.
Acknowledging the trust deficit between the government and the populace, Issa-Onilu admitted that repeated unfulfilled promises over the years have led to widespread skepticism among Nigerians.
“It is difficult to talk to a people who have for several years been let down. Nigerians feel let down. The first question they ask you is: ‘Is this another promise that will not be kept?’ So, we must prove to Nigerians that this government is keeping to its promises,” he said while addressing information managers.
As Nigeria grapples with the economic impacts of subsidy removal, Issa-Onilu’s comments highlight the government’s stance on the issue and the need for collective resilience and adaptation among the citizens.