Sunday 15 January 2012

Oshiomhole never told FG to remove subsidy in January – Okosun

BENIN—Edo State chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr Thomas Okosun, weekend, said that those vilifying Governor Adams Oshiomhole over his position on Federal Government’s removal of subsidy on petroleum misconstrued his comment.

He said: “The governor gave conditions that before you do this, the basic things should be done first. And that was the position of most Nigerians. The major complaint today is that the timing is wrong because the basic facilities that you are supposed to put on ground are not there.

How do you tell a man for example, that the budget of 2011 is running to end of March of 2012 and in that budget, the provision for subsidy was provided. It is still running and then in January, you are now introducing removal of fuel subsidy.

“That is a breach of the constitution of the country. Oshiomhole never told the Federal Government to remove subsidy at this time. He did not say they should remove subsidy without putting palliatives in place. It is like a man who wants to build a house, you are now roofing the house without a foundation first.

The truth is that a lot of people misconstrued what he said and as I speak to you now, Oshiomhole is in Abuja with the leadership of labour and government trying to find solution to the problem.”