Deities benefited from subsidy, forex crisis – Uzodinma

Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State, has said “cabals and deities” were benefitting from the disparities in foreign exchange and subsidy payments before President Bola Tinubu halted it.

Uzodimma, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said the cabals were responsible for the socio-economic woes bedevilling the nation.

He said what Tinubu had done so far by removing subsidy on petrol and unifying the foreign exchange windows were the “passwords to entering the system” of prosperity.

“I tell you, in my findings and understanding of the country, there exist cabals and deities, who before dollar business can be conducted, must be worshipped.

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“They are the people sponsoring artificial media, they are the people sponsoring oppositions to come with blackmail and negative propaganda against a president who is very versatile, who is from the private sector, who meant well, who wants to correct the ills of the past.

“The fuel subsidy that has just been removed was benefiting a group of cabals who became very rich overnight to the detriment of Nigerians… We have billionaires who bought private jets, built castles all over the world in the name of subsidy,” Uzodimma said.

He said the companies leaving Nigeria were not investors, “they are those who are benefiting from the cabal system.”

“When they tell you they are leaving, they are leaving because they can no longer benefit from foreign exchange disparities, they can no longer benefit from crude oil theft, they can no longer benefit from petroleum subsidy pretending to be importing fuel when they were not importing anything.

“And again it is a blessing in disguise because the more they leave, the more opportunities for indigenous companies to participate,” the chairman of progressive governors added.

While debunking the argument that Tinubu’s economic policies were not working, he said the president was trying to consolidate the economy to make the Naira stronger.

“In the process of economic recovery, there is what we call the infancy stage. He has just drafted policies that will make the Naira very strong again and there will be initial challenges,” he said.