Former Bayelsa Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has dismissed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s plan to return fuel subsidy if he is elected president.
He argued that returning the scheme would only revive the corruption and inefficiencies associated with it.
This online medium reports that Murray-Bruce shared his thoughts in a statement made available to journalists.
He called on Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to introduce state-funded transport subsidies to cushion the impact of rising transport costs
“Atiku Abubakar is wrong. Bringing back the fuel subsidy is not the answer. We tried it for forty years. It made a few men billionaires, it fed smugglers at our borders, and it never once put money in the pocket of the woman selling tomatoes by the roadside,” he said.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy and increasing allocations to state governments, stressing that the responsibility for cushioning the policy’s effects now rests largely with the states
He said, “Mr President, you have done well. Removing the subsidy was hard, and you did it. You have also sent far more money to the states than any President before you. The Federal Government has done its part. Now the states must do theirs.”
According to him, subsidising intra-state transport is the responsibility of state governments, not the Federal Government.
“Subsidising transport inside a state is the job of that state government. It is not the job of the President. It has never been his job. It is not his job today. It will not be his job tomorrow,” he said.
Bruce said state governments should use their increased allocations to reduce the burden of transport on residents, arguing that the Federal Government should not be expected to manage transport within individual states.
He proposed a four-point transport intervention, including free transport for students, a maximum fare of N500 for intra-city journeys, and a system that would support existing commercial drivers rather than require governments to purchase buses
“Students ride free. Every student, to school and back home, at no cost. Not discounted. Free,” he said.
He also proposed that no passenger should pay more than ₦500 for a journey from one end of a city to another, while smaller cities and towns should have lower fares.
