Jonathan had govs’ backing but faltered on subsidy removal – Fayemi

Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly lacking the courage to fully implement the removal of fuel subsidies in 2012, despite strong backing from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) at the time.

Fayemi made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja during the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch. He was responding to comments by the Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who had earlier criticized opposition parties for their role in the controversy surrounding the 2012 subsidy removal.

Sanusi had earlier at the same event commended President Bola Tinubu for removing fuel subsidy, while also noting that the President should take responsibility for sabotaging similar efforts during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2012.

Sanusi said he has maintained a consistent position on subsidy removal for over three decades, stressing that the policy was long overdue.

The former CBN governor said, “I’m somebody who believes in speaking the truth all the time. So you are quoting me in 2012; you can quote me in 2025, the issues will not change. I’m not one of those people that, when you are out of government, you fight against fuel subsidy removal, then when you are in government, you advocate for subsidy removal.

“So I’ll be the first one to give credit to this government for removing the fuel subsidy, which some of us started calling for from the very first economic summit over 30 years ago.

“But the same President must take the blame for sabotaging the efforts to remove the fuel subsidy in the past, in 2012. The speeches are there, but you know, the best time to have planted the tree was 25 years ago.

“The second-best time is now, so let’s focus on the now. The important thing is that the government has done the correct thing in terms of removing an unaffordable subsidy.”

But while speaking, Fayemi said contrary to popular belief, most governors were in favour of subsidy removal during Jonathan’s administration, but the former president failed to stand by his own policy decision.

He said: “When we’re talking about the 2012 Occupy Nigeria and the opposition to President Jonathan, the truth of the matter was that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, of which I was a member, were the major advocate for subsidy removal.

“Yes, my party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), did not support subsidy removal. In fact, myself and Adams Oshiomhole were active promoters of it in all of the town hall meetings held at the time.

“I think when people want to blame the opposition for not lining up behind President Jonathan, there’s something to be said for President Jonathan lacking the conviction to go ahead and do what he believed in, and ensure that subsidy was removed.”

Fayemi, however, praised President Bola Tinubu for demonstrating political courage by ending fuel subsidy immediately upon assuming office in May 2023.

“What did President Tinubu do? He came in and said subsidy is gone from day one. He could have opted out of it, especially when the pressure started mounting in the first month and prices began to rise. But he stayed on course, and I think that is the courage we must commend him for,” Fayemi said.

The former Ekiti governor, nonetheless, warned that the greater challenge lies in how the policy is managed to reduce the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“The devil is always in the details. What has come after that is how to manage it so that the population does not feel a sense of loss as they are feeling at this particular point in time.”