ICYMI: Subsidy removal was not in my inauguration speech, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu says his aides left out the decision for the removal of petrol subsidy from his inauguration speech.

Tinubu spoke on Friday during an interactive session with Nigerians in Paris, France.

In his inauguration speech on May 29, the president announced the removal of the petrol subsidy.

According to Tinubu, the removal of the petrol subsidy was not contained in his written speech, but he summoned the courage to say “fuel subsidy is gone”.

Some hours after the announcement, queues appeared in filling stations in many parts of the country and the price of petrol skyrocketed.

The president said Nigeria was tired of feeding smugglers who were benefiting from the petrol subsidy scheme.

“Some countries were bleeding us. Courage was missing,” he said.

“I became an advocate of it — remove this thing (petrol subsidy) but God gave me the opportunity when I danced around, strategise with my team and we won the presidency.

“And the day I was declared winner I fell almost sick with joy.

“The few friends who visited me rejoicing, so I asked the question, you asked me to bring this trophy, this victory what do you do with it?

“I brought it. I won. We must achieve with it. We must change Nigeria with it

“Then Wale Edun and co started debating, putting my speech together without the question on subsidy. I got to the podium, I was possessed with courage and I said subsidy is gone.

“They thought it was a joke of the century until I called NNPC. We are tired of feeding smugglers and making a few people rich and subsidizing the next-door neighbour.

“I met with the President of the Benin Republic today. I said everybody is equal now, we are friends. We are conjoined twins joined by the hips.

“How we will separate each other is with this fuel subsidy. Let us see whether we will survive or not but we are going to survive you.”