‘This Is Not How To Run A Government’ – Former Presidential Candidate Blasts President Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the February 2023 elections, Adewole Adebayo has charged President Bola Tinubu to do better with the recommendation for Nigerians to dump petrol for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in using their vehicles.

According to Adebayo, President Tinubu can’t be telling Nigerians to adopt CNG while he and others with him in government continue running their cars on petrol.

The former presidential candidate said Tinubu must lead by example in the charge for the adoption of CNG.

Naija News recalls in the wake of the fuel subsidy removal and subsequent increase in the price of petrol, the government had suggested the switch to CNG as a cheaper alternative.

However, Adebayo in his submission noted that the government has failed to come up with any clear-cut policy on CNG and how to drive the policy adoption.

“There is no white paper; it’s just mere announcements. I don’t think this is how to run a government in this 2023 era. We didn’t even run the government like that in 1953. I think what the government should do is articulate its programmes for poverty alleviation. Let them present a white paper and set a target so that we can monitor that.

“There are three ways they can handle the impacts of subsidy. They can provide alternatives, which is the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) that they are talking about. If they can focus on that, you could get one million conversions in one year. If that is what you want to do, you come out and focus on it. Again, the first example one would notice is that the government has not in itself converted its own vehicles to CNG. If the government vehicles are still running on petrol and they want the people to be on Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, then there is a problem,” he lamented.

Speaking further, Adebayo was of the opinion that apart from making two policies which are the fuel subsidy removal and harmonization of the foreign exchange market, the administration of President Tinubu has not focused on the economy which is troubled by cost-push inflation.

“They have made two policies. The first one is affirming the policy of the Buhari administration and the APC that they would remove subsidies from petrol. They have done that, and the attendant cost-push inflation is already coming in. Secondly, they harmonised the foreign exchange market. But, in terms of focusing on the economy, they have not; they are only focusing on how to settle down,” he said.

Palliative Is Not Sustainable

On the N5 billion palliative to each of the 36 states in the federation for onward distribution to the citizens in order to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, Adebayo said such policies are not effective or sustainable.

“This idea of a handout where you give one mudu of rice is not sustainable. What the government needs to do is to create a certain fund, go out and deal with how to bring the prices of things down instead of giving handouts in the name of palliative to the citizenry,” he stated.