TheCable

Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president, says Nigerians and the top presidential candidates in the 2023 election, agreed that the subsidy on petrol had to go. 

Gbajabiamila spoke on Saturday, after voting in the Surulere 1 federal constituency by-election, in Lagos.

During his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu veered from the script and announced the end of the petrol subsidy regime.

The pronouncement immediately led to a hike in the pump price of petrol. Spiralling inflation and economic hardship ensued after the nation’s currency was floated and the exchange rate was unified. 

Gbajabiamila said the hardship Nigerians are currently grappling with is not peculiar to the country, as other nations are facing a similar ordeal.

“Clearly, Nigerians are going through hardship. Same thing is also going on in other parts of the world. Nigeria is not isolated. It is even in the most advanced democracy that these shocks are being received left, right and centre — from the north, east, west, and south. They are universal,” he said.

“Let’s forget about the other countries. I want to encourage people. It has been six, seven months of this government.

“Moving forward, one believes things will begin to take a turn. Like I said, for it to get better, some people would say it has to get bad.

“Things have been very difficult because of the fundamentals that were missing in the first place. It is those economic fundamentals that the government is putting into place.

“You talk about subsidy removal. There was a national consensus. Everybody agreed that the subsidy had to go. Unification of the naira? Everyone agreed.”

Gbajabiamila, who resigned from the house of representatives to pick up his current job as chief of staff, said whoever succeeds him should be “focused”.

“Legislative work comes with a lot of dedication, hard work, and experience. It may be very difficult initially but when you put your head down and have the focus of the people at heart, you will do well,” he added.