Should Tinubu Return Fuel Subsidy as Demanded by Protesters? Lawyer Speaks
- President Bola Tinubu has again been commended for removing the fuel subsidy amid calls by hunger protesters that the fuel subsidy should be returned
- Oladotun Hassan, a legal practitioner, who spoke with Legit.ng, questioned the protesters' demands and wondered if it was not the handwork of the cabals enjoying the fuel subsidy
- Hassan then dismissed the call and urged the government to ensure that Dangote and other modular refineries were effective
Barrister Oladotun Hassan has dismissed the calls for the return of the fuel subsidy as demanded by the organisers of the recently concluded nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
In an interview with Legit.ng, the legal practitioner questioned the demand and wondered if the cabals benefiting from the fuel subsidy regime were behind the call. The legal icon then described some of the demands of the protesters as unthinkable and unreasonable.
Source: Twitter
Solutions to fuel crisis in Nigeria - Lawyer
He maintains that the solution to the country's high fuel costs is to make Dangote and other modular refineries work.
Hassan said:
"I see some of those demands as unthinkable and unreasonable ideas. They are unthinkable because are the cabals that benefit from the subsidy sponsoring these protests, or is it the singular agenda of returning the fuel subsidy?
"To me, the agenda of removing fuel subsidies isn't the solution. We should encourage the implementation of our local refineries, like Dangote and other modular refineries.
"Also, licences to private and independent organizations to refine petro should be issued. This would provide enough premium motor spirit, diesel, and others, increase manpower, and reduce the cost of living."
Why fuel subsidy should not be returned
Hassan decried the lack of accountability in the subsidy regime, adding that the removal of the fuel subsidies is advantageous to Nigeria and referencing the comments of Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano. He said:
"In a statement by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, he said, “During the oil subsidy regime, oil that was not imported was paid for, there was no auditing, no accountability of the subsidy”.
Akpabio speaks on hunger protest
Legit.ng earlier reported that Senate president Godswill Akpabio has condemned the calls for a military takeover in the country.
Akpabio, who spoke at the ongoing NBA conference in Lagos on Monday, August 26, urged youths to avoid the call because it means the denial of their freedom.
The Senate president reiterated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu's administration to repositioning Nigeria.
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Source: Legit.ng
Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng
Barrister Oladotun Hassan (Public Affairs analyst) Barrister Oladotun Hassan, a Public Affairs analyst, is the secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Epe Branch. He is also the executive project director of Lawyers for Reform Group. Barrister Hassan is a member of the Section for Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the NBA Security Agencies Relations Committee. He is the president of the Nigerian Youths Coalition, secretary general of Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council, and president of the Yoruba Council Worldwide.
