Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo State, has come under fire from the federal government for criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s economic strategy.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday in Benin, Obaseki claimed that the withdrawal of gasoline subsidies and foreign exchange reforms implemented by Tinubu’s administration had made life more difficult for Nigerians.

“With the elimination of subsidies, the exchange rate is now aligning. The result is that a significant portion of the weight of these policies will fall on the weakest and most disadvantaged citizens of the nation.

“I’m surprised that those who ran nationwide campaigns promising to eliminate subsidies had concrete strategies for what would happen next. They are unsure of what to do or how to help people who would suffer as a result of subsidy elimination.

The minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, responded to the governor’s statement on Thursday by saying that Obaseki’s remarks about the APC-led federal government’s decisions on fuel subsidies and foreign exchange market reforms ignored the bigger economic picture.

While conflicting opinions among leaders are normal, it’s important to base discussion on observable outcomes and to ground criticism in fact.

It is well known that Nigerians, State Governors of all political stripes, international organizations like the World Bank and IMF, as well as numerous economic experts, have consistently argued for the elimination of fuel subsidies due to the fiscal distortions and burden they have caused on the country’s economy.

This load includes many months in which the NNPC made no additions to the Federation account, leaving states and local governments with less funding from FAAC as a result of the regular payment of fuel subsidies that the national oil firm charged to the Federation account.

For context, Edo State, led by Governor Obaseki, has significantly profited from the subsidy reduction, as seen by the more than doubling of the FAAC allocation to Edo State between June and July 2023 compared to what it had previously gotten prior to the elimination of fuel subsidies.

“Our suggestion? The emphasis should be on how Governor Obaseki would use available resources to generate effective projects that actually elevate the people of Edo State rather than diving into tales that don’t give the whole picture.

We still don’t know what caused Governor Obaseki to level such flagrantly false claims against the Federal Government.

On Friday, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), made the announcement that the Port Harcourt Refinery Company would begin operations in December of this year.

According to a statement that was issued in Abuja by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, he made this revelation while visiting the restoration exercise at the plant that is owned by the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Port Harcourt, which is located in the state of Rivers.

The minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated that the plant would come back online by December based on the degree of development that has been documented at the facility.

“The reason we have traveled all the way here today is to make certain that over the next few years, Nigeria will no longer be dependent on importing fuel. According to the information that we have gathered here today, the Port Harcourt Refinery would be operational by the end of the year.

“Warri will become operational by the end of the first quarter of the next year, and Kaduna will likewise become operational toward the end of the following year. “If you add it to the Dangote Refinery, we will be able to end petroleum importation, and Nigerians would enjoy the full benefits of deregulation,” said Lokpobiri. “The Dangote Refinery is the key to our success.”

The minister stated that he was satisfied with the ongoing restoration work at the Port Harcourt refinery. He went on to note that once all of the refineries were back on stream, Nigerians would have access to a greater supply of petroleum products, and the country would be able to keep more of its own currency.

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, stated that restoring the refineries to their ideal levels was a national goal, and the business has not wavered in its commitment to accomplishing this goal.

“We are aware of the issues that our country is facing in regards to the availability of fuel. However, we are not here to make excuses for what happened. Our primary focus right now is on completing this refinery modernization project, as well as improving the capacity of our other two refineries and all of the other investments we have made in this area.

According to Kyari’s statement, “we are hoping that by the year 2024, this country would be a net exporter of petroleum products.”

Ekperikpe Ekpo, who is the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), stated that “We are here to get into the field.” The age of subsidies came to an end yesterday. Subsidies are not available in the modern era.

“In today’s world, people are in a very difficult position to breathe a sigh of relief and figure out how to continue living. You are all aware that gasoline plays a significant role in our economy. To guarantee that the refineries are operating properly, every available person needs to pitch in.