"Palliatives are being worked out. And very soon, if the president comes back from France, assure you Nigerians will get great news."
A former member of the House of Representatives, Musa Adar, says the increase in the pump price of fuel occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal was affecting elites more than ordinary Nigerians.
Mr Adar, who represented Gada-Goronyo Federal Constituency in Sokoto State between 2007 and 2023, spoke when he appeared as a guest on the Arise TV's "The Morning Show," on Wednesday.
Nigeria's President, Bola Tinubu, announced the removal of the oil subsidy during his inaugural speech on 29 May.
The announcement caused fuel scarcity in the country as many petrol stations hiked their pump prices while others completely shut down operations, apparently to conserve their products.
The federal government would later announce over N500 per litre new petrol pump prices across the 36 states amidst complaints by many Nigerians.
Speaking on the complaints by Nigerians because of the hike in the pump price of fuel, Mr Adar said the elites bear the brunt more than the ordinary Nigerians because they buy more fuel than others.
"The fuel price was (earlier) being subsidised for the elites, not the poor persons, as some people are trying to portray," he said.
"Majority of car owners and the elites are the rich ones whereby we own one, three, four, five (and) ten cars, especially in the government circle where you see a convoy of a minister and his security details with over 20 vehicles at a time," Mr Adar stated.
The lawmaker, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, lost his reelection bid to his 33-year-old Peoples Democratic Party opponent, Bashir Gorau, during the 2023 National Assembly elections.
'Why Tinubu didn't roll out palliative before subsidy removal'
Many Nigerians, including members of the country's House of Representatives, have criticised Mr Tinubu for not rolling out palliative measures before the subsidy removal.
Following the public outcry, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, announced, on 1 June, that Mr Tinubu had directed that palliatives be put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel price hike on Nigerians.
However, the palliative measures have not been introduced exactly three weeks after.
When asked during the Arise TV programme why Mr Tinubu did not roll out the palliatives before removing the oil subsidy, Mr Adar said the president's sudden decision was intended to evade possible "gang up" by critics against the policy.
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"Any policy that is announced before it is implemented, you will see critics, without evaluating it properly, just gang up at a particular corner and start disparaging, attacking and saying all sorts of things against the policy before it is even implemented," he stated.
"What President Tinubu did was a mark of courage. If he had not made that pronouncement, I assure you, it would continue to linger till the end of his first tenure and maybe to his second tenure if he's lucky to get it. So, he (Tinubu) should be commended," the former lawmaker stated.
He added that Mr Tinubu, who left Nigeria for France on Tuesday for the New Global Financial Pact, would give Nigerians "great news" about the proposed palliatives on his return.
"Palliatives are being worked out. And very soon, if the president comes back from France, assure you Nigerians will get great news," he said.
