Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to publish veritable impact of the subsidy removal on the life of Nigerians.
APM, in a statement by National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said its demand is predicated on the worsening economic hardship and poverty rate in the country in the last three years.
The party noted that despite the huge sums of money that accrued to the federal government since the removal of fuel subsidy, cost of living has gone up while public facilities have collapsed and there is yawning infrastructure deficit across the country.
APM noted that Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit has been estimated at about $2.3 trillion, with experts stating that the gap would require approximately $100 billion annually over the next 30 years to fix.
It added that under the APC-led administration, hunger has become a national emergency, as millions of families go without daily meals.
“Small businesses are collapsing under rising operating costs. The purchasing power of workers has been abysmally degraded, while poverty and unemployment continue to rise at alarming rates.
“Across the country, frustration is growing as more citizens struggle to survive,” the party noted.
APM regretted that despite the heavy premiums citizens pay daily, the APC administration is not forthcoming with a transparent account of the trillions accrued to it from the removal of subsidy, and accused the APC of corruption, diversion of public funds and bandying of figures and fictitious achievements.
The party projected that over N20 trillion might have accrued to the federal purse from the removal of fuel subsidy, which President Bola Tinubu’s administration promised would be channeled towards improving the welfare of Nigerians.
APM said: “The vague claims by the APC government that the proceeds are being invested in critical sectors without real figures and specific project or programme is completely unacceptable and cannot substitute for transparency and accountability.
“No comprehensive public record has been presented to demonstrate how much has been realized, how much has been spent, and whether those expenditures have translated into measurable improvements in the lives of citizens.”
It therefore, demands that the federal gsovernment should immediately publish a detailed and independently verifiable impact assessment of the subsidy removal policy.
“Nigerians deserve to know the exact amount saved since May 2023, the projects funded and their locations,” the party stated.
APM said it is not opposed to reforms that genuinely advance national development, but added that the APC government cannot continue to celebrate figures on paper while millions of citizens can no longer afford decent meals, healthcare, transportation, or quality education.
“The true measure of any economic reform is not the volume of official pronouncements but its tangible impact on the lives of the people,”
APM stated, and called on the “Tinubu administration to rise above political rhetoric and immediately release a comprehensive public report detailing the total subsidy savings since May 2023, all expenditures made from the fund, the beneficiaries of every intervention, and the measurable outcomes achieved.”
