Nasiru el-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, revealed yesterday that the Federal Government has been subsidising petrol, also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), to the tune of trillions of naira since its inception under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership on May 29th, 2023.
El-Rufai made this disclosure during his lead presentation at a workshop themed ‘Enhancing Skills of Government Officials in Policy Implementation and Productive Human Management Resources.’ This workshop was attended by Commissioners, Chief Advisers, Special Advisers, Senior Technical Advisers to Governor Babagana Zulum, and heads of various agencies and departments.
The former governor highlighted that the government has spent approximately N8 trillion on petrol subsidies since it came into power. He argued that without these subsidy payments, the cost of petrol would have exceeded the current prices, which range between N600 and N750 per litre. In comparison, diesel prices have soared above N1,000 per litre in some locations.
El-Rufai stressed, “The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has been subsidising petrol, or PMS, from day one. This has cost the current administration about N8 trillion since its inception on May 29th, 2023.”
Speaking to journalists after his presentation, el-Rufai emphasised the importance of effective leadership. He said that a good leader should be decisive, trustworthy, and capable of empowering others without being influenced by political, religious, or ethnic considerations.
While acknowledging that it’s too early to assess the Tinubu administration fully, given its nine months in office, el-Rufai pointed out the need for pragmatic leadership. He noted that if policies aren’t yielding the expected results, leaders should be flexible enough to adjust them.
El-Rufai commended the current administration’s decision to remove fuel subsidy but observed that the government had to reintroduce it due to its impact. He said, “We are currently paying trillions of naira for subsidy, even more than before. If people want to confirm the existence of fuel subsidy, they should compare petrol and diesel prices. Normally, petrol should be more expensive than diesel.”
