RESIDENTS of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have shared mixed feelings over the administration of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office on May 29 – 100 days ago.
While some lauded the President’s policies, others lamented over the increased hardship occasioned by his reforms.
Speaking with The ICIR, a resident of the FCT, Blessing Ugoke, commended Tinubu for what she described as efforts to ensure that the country is stabilised.
She, however, noted that people are suffering, which she said should be looked into.
“The President is working to put the country in order, but many people are suffering. People are now trekking long distances because of the high cost of fuel.
“Fuel price is increasing daily, and not everyone is mobile. Most people use public transport, so they should look into it,” she said.
Another resident, Mohammed Bello, who admitted he voted for Tinubu, said he was not expecting the administration to turn out the way it is, as, according to him, things are very hard for him and his family compared to the last government.
“I campaigned and voted for Tinubu, but I did not expect this administration to be like this. Before I spent N600 every day but now I spend N2,000 on transport, and many things are now expensive.
“In Buhari’s administration, I ate three times a day with my family, but now I eat once because of the economy. Everything is high; we did not expect that from the government,” he noted.
A resident, Nathaniel Usman, expressed disappointment in the government for not ensuring things were in place before announcing the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“This government came in without putting things in place properly, and they removed fuel subsidy, which doubled the suffering of the masses. They would have put things in place first,” he said.
Usman added that “the five billion naira they shared would have been put back into the subsidy and removed within five to six months. Food and other things would have come down; people would be prepared.
“Removing subsidy immediately coming into government only multiplied the hardship when they would have given time for citizens to adapt to it by preparing first”.
The President declared an end to subsidy during his inaugural speech at Eagle Square in Abuja after he was sworn in.
The ICIR reported that following the declaration by President Tinubu, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCLtd) announced a hike in petrol price by about 200 per cent, from approximately N197 to over N600.
The sharp rise led to a surge in transport fares and cost of goods across the country, leaving citizens in much pain.
However, Tinubu justified the subsidy removal, noting that only a few rich Nigerians enjoyed the billions of dollars the government paid on it yearly.
A Reuters report shows the country paid $10 billion on fuel subsidy in 2022.
In a nationwide broadcast on July 31, the president highlighted his plan to alleviate the subsidy removal pains.
He has also begun the disbursement of funds for palliative to states, in addition to increased monthly allocation the state receive from his government since the subsidy regime ended.
Tinubu’s government has repeatedly urged the state governors to judiciously use the rising monthly allocations to touch the lives of their people more positively to alleviate the subsidy removal’s impact.
While emphasising how the removal of fuel subsidy has made life difficult for them, other residents complained about the increase in tuition fees by schools across the nation’s capital.
