By Aliyu Dangida
DUTSE:- Former Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Kano branch, Alhaji Sani Ya’u Babura has described the recent perceived plan by the federal government to remove fuel subsidy as a time bomb that will not yield any positive result to the country’s economy.

Speaking with Vanguard, Alhaji S. Y. Babura said instead of this purported plan by the federal government in taking the decision of removing fuel subsidy it should focus on reviving Nigeria’s refineries as well as concentrate on the Petroleum Industry Bill PIB to enable the down stream sector to function as it is applicable in other countries that supply of petroleum products to it’s citizens.

According to him, insecurity and abject poverty bedeviling Nigeria’s masses  are enough catastrophe to Nigerians. He said “The deregulation will only enable the FG to save more money in it’s accounts but the masses will suffer, so the plan is a wrong decision especially to the masses”.

Alhaji Sani Babura who is also an economists stated further that the federal government had no control on the price of petroleum products as it was the marketers that still determined the prices. He said that a liter of fuel in Kano state is sold at a different price in Jigawa, Sokoto and Katsina states because of the distance. He stressed that commodities and other basic needs will be highly expensive as a result of this proposed fuel subsidy removal.

He added that those who are in support of the plan are people who do not go to filling stations to purchase fuel with their money or care for the masses. He urged the federal government to think of other ways that will raise revenue in the place of this fuel subsidy as no government should fold it arms and allow it’s citizens to suffer from unduly inflation.