By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
Former Bayelsa Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has dismissed the proposal by African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to bring back fuel subsidy if elected president.
In a statement made available to journalists, Murray-Bruce argued that reintroducing the scheme would only revive the corruption and inefficiencies that characterized it for decades.
He said the subsidy regime benefited a few individuals instead of ordinary Nigerians. “Atiku Abubakar is wrong. Bringing back the fuel subsidy is not the answer. We tried it for forty years. It made a few men billionaires, it fed smugglers at our borders, and it never once put money in the pocket of the woman selling tomatoes by the roadside,” he said.
Murray-Bruce, however, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, describing it as a difficult but necessary decision. He also praised the President for increasing allocations to state governments.
“Mr President, you have done well. Removing the subsidy was hard, and you did it. You have also sent far more money to the states than any President before you. The Federal Government has done its part. Now the states must do theirs,”he said.
The former lawmaker said the responsibility for cushioning the effects of subsidy removal now rests largely with the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
According to him, subsidizing intra-state transport is the duty of state governments, not the Federal Government. “Subsidising transport inside a state is the job of that state government. It is not the job of the President. It has never been his job. It is not his job today. It will not be his job tomorrow,” he stated.
Murray-Bruce urged states to use their increased allocations to reduce the burden of transport costs on residents, rather than expect the Federal Government to intervene in local transport matters.
He proposed a four-point transport intervention for states, which includes free transport for students, a maximum fare of ₦500 for intra-city journeys, lower fares for smaller towns, and a system that supports existing commercial drivers instead of government buying new buses.
“Students ride free. Every student, to school and back home, at no cost. Not discounted. Free,”he said, adding that no passenger should pay more than ₦500 from one end of a city to another.
