President Bola Tinubu has come under fire from Nigerian journalist Rufai Oseni for comparing the return of fuel subsidies to returning to Egypt.
Tinubu rejected the opposition presidential candidates’ pledges to reimburse the fuel subsidy if elected during an event with the City Boys Movement in Abuja on Monday.
Tinubu insisted that the subsidy system was driving the nation toward bankruptcy and that he had no regrets about the choice.
Speaking during Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’, Rufai said all the human development indices in Egypt is better than that of Nigeria.
He said, “Does President Tinubu know that all the human development indices in Egypt is better than that of Nigeria?
“Somebody should tell him that the Egyptian citizen has 100% access to power. Egypt has produced over 63,000 megawatts of electricity. Education is well better. 2.5 percent of Gross Domestic Products, GDP.
“Nigeria’s own is about 0.5 percent. There is no habitable life expectancy. There is no parametre you compare Egypt to Nigeria.
“So in terms of going back to Egypt, is it not better for somebody to be in a country where electricity works?”
I believe Egypt has the conditions and systems in place to make its approach work—but the real question is: does Nigeria have everything working in its favour? Do we have the infrastructure, support systems, and economic conditions needed to make a similar policy work for Nigerians?
