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| Prof. Yemi Osinbajo |
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the federal government’s
plan to unveil the new policy to address the subsidy issue in the country, has
said that the government will have to take tough decisions on the desirability
of retaining fuel subsidies, adding that it had become necessary to remove
them.
His statement coincided with a remark by the Minister of
State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who confirmed that the
government would in the next few days unveil a new policy to address the
subsidy issue in the country.
Osinbajo, who was at Abeokuta, said: “No matter how we slice
it, we are in economic times that are challenging, but they provide us with
some of the best opportunities for making a real difference in our economic
life.
“I think that we are at a point that a lot has been said
about subsidies and what to do with subsidies. I think we are at a point where
we must make many difficult decisions and make very tough choices.
“But I think the Nigerian people are prepared for all what
is required and all it would take to make a real difference.
“In no way can a country make the kind of progress we expect
it to make without being able to ensure that in public life our finance system
is transparent and would ensure that there is accountability.
“Our Ministry of Finance has been putting in place a system
that would assure accountability. It would ensure that public funds are
accounted for and that the country is not exposed to some of the kinds of huge
corruption that we had seen over the past few years.”
He also urged state governments to encourage and support
agriculture, noting that “in the area of agriculture I know that there is so
much room for so much more”.
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