The federal government has criticised the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki over his comments on the measures of palliative distribution to the state government over the recent removal of petroleum subsidy.
Mr Obaseki had in a publication published on Thisday newspaper where he called out the federal government over the mode at which the palliatives were distributed to the state governments.
The governor also said the federal government initiatives to mitigate the hardship as a result of the subsidy removal lacked clear plans to actualise any meaningful idea cut out.
He went on to describe the palliative as deceitful and promised to support the Edo people.
“I am shocked that people who campaigned around the country, saying that they will remove subsidies, had no clear plans on what to do after subsidy removal. They don’t know what to do and how to support those who will be victims of subsidy removal.” Mr Obaseki said.
President Bola Tinubu announced in a nationwide televised broadcast last month that his administration would provide the sum of N75 billion for the manufacturing sector between July 2023 and March 2024 among other promises to manage the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.
In reaction, Mallam Idris, the Minister of Information & National Orientation in a statement issued on Thursday said it did not come to anyone as a surprise as he has lost focus and diverted attention from his poor performance at the state level since his move to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Mr Idris said Mr Obaseki’s comments regarding the APC-led Federal Government’s decisions on fuel subsidy and foreign exchange market reforms perhaps overlooked the broader economic picture as his administration has notably benefited from the fuel subsidy removal, which is evident in the more than doubling of the FAAC allocation between June and July 2023 to Edo State – more than it had ever received pre-fuel subsidy removal.
Therefore, The federal government advised Mr Obaseki to emphasise how the Edo State Government will use available resources to promote meaningful projects that improve the people of Edo State rather than delving into tales that do not present the full picture.
His words
“Nationally, decisions led by President Tinubu are based on foresight, with the primary aim of engineering a resilient and sustainable economy. This vision is consistently echoed within the National Economic Council, where significant economic decisions are made.
“We want to clearly state that Edo State, alongside other 35 States plus FCT, can access more FAAC revenue, due only to the bold and courageous economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office. These decisions have been applauded across the globe because they are the decisions that need to be taken to reposition the national economy for better output.
