Petrol subsidy: FG must provide relief packages for Nigerians, says APC lawmaker

Philip Agbese, a house of representatives member, says the federal government must provide relief packages for Nigerians to cushion the effect of the removal of subsidy on petrol.

In his inaugural speech in May, President Bola Tinubu announced that the subsidy on petrol is gone.

Last week, Tinubu said his administration is working on palliatives to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on the masses.

In a statement on Wednesday, Agbese said ending the subsidy regime is not enough, and called for an investigation  into how subsidy funds were expended in the last eight years.

Agbese was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and represents Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu constituency of Benue state in the green chamber.

“Tinubu has begun reforms in the petroleum sector, the security sector and even in the economy,” he said.

“I agree with the removal of fuel subsidies. For us, just to remove subsidy is not enough, we must provide palliative at one end and at another end we must ask questions about what took all these monies [spent on subsidy] in the last eight years.

“If we have all agreed that the existence of the fuel subsidy in the last eight years was actually a fraud, what happened to our money, Nigerians are asking.”

The legislator expressed optimism that the house under Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker, would do well.

“I do not see a docile house, rather I see a house that will live up to its expectations; I see a house that will fulfill its mandate,” he said.

“I see a house that will deliver on the expectations of the Nigerian people.

“I also see a house that the international community, for the first time in the history of our country, will be proud to say, yes indeed, in Nigeria there is a parliament.”