The Federal Government of Nigeria has has reacted to the volumes of criticism that followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day speech, wherein he stated that it made no sense for petrol to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.
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In reacting to the troll, The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said it is not fair for the government to take tax from farmers, herders and low-level people in the society to be subsidize the lifestyle of people who dwell in urban cities.
Many have been of the opinion that President Buhari should have also compared the minimum wage of Nigeria with that of Saudi Arabia instead of pump price of petrol.
Shehu who spoke on Channels television’s politics today said, “Is it fair that the taxpayers’ money…how many Nigerians have cars anyway? How many of them run generators in their homes that they need this fuel for?
“Is it fair that the farmer, herders and low-level people in the society that the taxpayer money is taken from them are subsidising the lifestyle of our city urban dwellers? The President is just trying to be as practical on these matters as possible.
“So Saudi Arabia is important in this discussion because what is the technological cost of producing a barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia?
“It’s not more than a quarter of what we spend here and yet you see them charging more than Nigeria. How much comes to Nigeria when you look at our technical cost?,” he asked.
Nigerians had labelled Buhari’s comparison as a total no brainer, with many saying the same indices used to measure economic growth in Saudi Arabia should not be applied to Nigeria and Nigerians.
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