Stuart Symington, US ambassador
to Nigeria, has advised the federal government to get rid of fuel subsidy.
The advice is coming a week after
Muhammad Sanusi, emir of Kano, said heavy subsidy is leading Nigeria into
bankruptcy.
Wale Tinubu, managing director of
Oando Plc, had also called on the
government to cease subsidy.
Speaking during an event to
commemorate America’s 243rd independence, Symington said subsidy costs
Nigerians “more than they worth”.
The US diplomat added that
Nigeria needs to empower and educate its female population.
“You don’t need anybody to tell
you what to do. It is very simple. Number one,
don’t look to government and get rid of gasoline subsidies. They cost
every Nigerian citizen more than they worth,” he said.
“Number two, educate and empower
every girl and every woman so that Nigeria sees her future with two eyes and
can grab it with two arms and not one.
“Number three, give power to the
people. Put an electricity meter in every home and pay for what you get and
tell the companies that you’re paying for what they deliver. But Nigeria knows
all that and one other thing, that tonight and every other night, that every
Nigerian is both a citizen and a subject. In Nigeria, there is one government
but there are hundreds of servants.
“A great asset of Nigeria is for
all those who lead and all the subjects they represent, to come together to
make this nation one nation bound in freedom with peace and unity and in this
process, you can count on the US for we believe in your ideas and we profoundly
believe in you.”
He said the Nigerian idea of
people with 497 different languages living together is what the US has been
trying to achieve since its independence.
“Nigeria is not just a country,
Nigeria is not just a nation, Nigeria was not just drawn on a map to bound
first as a colony and later as free women and men. This country, Nigeria, is an
idea, an idea very familiar to every American,” he said.
“It is an idea that people who
speak 497 different languages, that is twice as many languages that are spoken
on any given day in the United Nations, 497 different tongues coming together,
Nigeria is the idea.
“Not that one people with one
language, or one people with one faith, or one people of one colour or who come
from one place but that all people of all languages can truly be bound in
freedom and the sum of those parts can be much more than any one member could
ever be.
This, by the way, for 243 years, it has been the dream of the
united States to take people separated and divided in colonies with different
rulers and bring them together as a nation with one governor. The Nigerian idea
is an idea that is absolutely truly shared by the US.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com