By Moses Patience Chat
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Connected Development (CODE), Malam Hamzat Lawal, has condemned the continued payment of fuel subsidies by the Federal Government, describing it as unacceptable and a means of servicing the rich instead of the poor.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>
CODE is a Nigerian NGO that is aimed at empowering marginalized communities to demand goods and services by creating platforms for dialogue and building citizens’ capacity to hold their government accountable through its Follow The Money (FTM) initiative.
Lawal, during an interview with journalists, said Nigeria as a result of the payment, spends over N50 billion daily subsidizing the rich. According to him, ”we are subsidizing the rich, not the poor. The poor are actually bearing the brunt. And we spend over N50 billion every day subsidizing the rich people who can actually afford it.”
During the interview, Mallam Lawal also called on the National Assembly to call for a public hearing concerning the $800 million loan that President Muhammadu Buhari has planned to secure from the World Bank. The activist, however, stated that the loan was unnecessary.
”Taking a loan is not bad, but what do we do with this loan? People are poor. We have poor people, and it is not their doing that they are poor. And as a government, as people, we must care for these poor people,” he said.
He advised the government to explore the Open Government Partnership platform to ensure transparency in its spendings.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>
