
By Moses Patience Chat
The Federal Government on Wednesday said it is yet to arrive at a consensus with state governors on efforts to set up palliative measures ahead of the June 2023 deadline for the termination of fuel subsidy.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, revealed this to journalists shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, a committee led by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and the National Economic Council, composed of state governors, had been working for over 12 months to resolve the issue, and that the concerned committee will finalize discussions with key stakeholders as the current administration winds down.
In his own words, “the stage that we are in now is how to finalize the suggestions that have come out from both the Federal Government and the governors. Like you know, it is something that is going to affect the entire nation, and they just have to ensure that everyone is carried along, that is both the federal and sub-national governments.”
The Minister added that while the Osinbajo-led committee has no definite timeline to complete its assignment, deliberations were ongoing.
Agba further explained that the delay in doing so was necessary because the situation had far-reaching consequences for the nation.