The Federal Government has said no conclusion has been reached on how to lessen the likely impacts of the proposed fuel subsidy removal on the citizenry as it prepares to do away with petroleum products subsidy from the middle of 2023.
The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, said this Wednesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said though a committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had been working for about a year, nothing definite had been agreed upon.
Agba expressed hope that the committee working with state governors could arrive at a common position on the matter soon.
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According to him, there is no timeline for the Osinbajo committee to conclude the discussion which he said is ongoing.
He, however, recalled that under the federal government 2022 to 2023 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, a proposal of N3.3trillion was made for fuel subsidy between January and June 2023.
When asked to speak on palliative measures that would be put in place to mitigate the impacts of the subsidy removal, he said: “For over a year plus now, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has been leading a committee working on this and the National Economic Council also has a committee that has also been working on this.
“So, the stage that we are in now is how to finalise the suggestions that have come out from both the federal government and the governors side. Like you know, it is something that is going to affect the entire nation.
“They will just have to ensure that everyone is carried along, that is both the federal and subnational governments.”
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