By Adeola Ogunlade
The Founder/Chief Executive Officer of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives, Rev Titus Oyeyemi has called for the gradual removal of the fuel subsidy so as to reduce the growing effect of the total removal on hapless citizens in Nigeria.
Oyeyemi said this at the Mid-Year Prayer for Nigeria organised by African Children of Peace Club, (ACPC), an affiliate of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives (AFPLI) held recently at TimeON KAIROS College, Egbeda, Lagos.
The programme tagged: Interceding for Nigeria; featured song rendition, prayers and prophetic ministration.
According to him, the economic hardship unleashed by the removal of fuel subsidies is showing its impact especially on the rural poor across Nigeria. For instance, cars that were filled with 20 to #30, 000 now cost 70 to #100, 000 to fill.
He noted that although President Tinubu has already applied to the National Assembly for a bailout of #500 billion Naira in palliatives. The big danger is if there will ever be administrative skills and political will power to tackle the looming troubles.
The cleric said that we have nothing to lose if we remove the subsidy gradually but we have so much to lose if we remove the subsidy abruptly. Nigerians should not be punished for the sins of few elites who had been milking Nigeria dry in the name of subsidy.
He posited further that government at all levels should invest in mass food production to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy and the global food crises.
“Let us have mass production of food so that the poor can still feed. All the stable food today was at a time a solution to hunger. Foods such as Noddles, Quarker Oats, and other stable food were invented to combat hunger. In the next five years, let government invest in mass production of food and make Nigeria food sufficient”, he said.
He called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the nation, assuring Nigerians that Nigeria will arise and shine and every form of darkness will disappear.
“Let us turn every prayer opportunity into interceding for Nigeria. Let’s turn every prayer opportunity into intercession opportunity for Nigeria. From every church, prayer houses, temples, campus, let’s intercede for Nigeria”, Oyeyemi said.