Tinubu rules out return of fuel subsidies
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ruled out any reinstatement of the fuel subsidy at a campaign rally in Dutse, Jigawa State, in northern Nigeria. Instead, he promises interest-free loans for small farmers and mechanisation centres in six localities, according to Vanguard.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu promised on Tuesday interest-free loans for small farmers and the establishment of agricultural mechanisation service centres in six localities, at a campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party, at the Dutse stadium in Jigawa State, in northern Nigeria. He said his government would subsidise agriculture and reward smallholder farmers.
Tinubu also said universities would play a greater role in agricultural research. He argued that public resources should go to education and agriculture rather than subsidies, which he described as a false promise made by the opposition. The president also said the police and armed forces had been strengthened and their salaries increased, in order to defeat insecurity.
This speech follows the decision announced on 6 November not to restore the fuel subsidies. It comes a few months before the 2027 presidential election, in which Tinubu is seeking re-election. On 10 November, he had also promised to halve youth unemployment.
