Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has criticized the manner in which the Federal Government implemented the removal of fuel subsidy, describing it as a good reform executed wrongly.
Ezekwesili made the remarks on Monday during the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual Conference held at the International Conference Centre in Enugu.
According to her, while the removal of subsidy was an inevitable reform, the lack of adequate preparation worsened Nigeria’s economic situation and heightened inflationary pressures on citizens.
“It is possible to implement the right policy in the wrong way. When that happens, the results can be counterproductive. The fuel subsidy removal was a good reform, but it was not properly prepared for. Inflation is punishing the populace, especially the poor,” she said.
Her comments came shortly after the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, stressed the need for Nigeria to prioritize research and production as the foundation for national prosperity, citing China’s success through consistent investment in research and development.
Ezekwesili, however, maintained that economic reforms must be carefully sequenced and designed to protect vulnerable groups, adding that the abrupt announcement of the fuel subsidy removal plunged many households into severe hardship.
