Recall that the newly elected president announced the removal of the fuel subsidy in his inaugural speech.

This has made life harder for the common Nigerian as the price of PMS skyrocketed from N200 to between N531 – N560, depending on the location.

While the dispensers decided to hoard fuel, causing the masses to panic-buy, leading to an almost immediate hike in the price of PMS, questions have been asked if the removal of fuel subsidies is beneficial to Nigerians.

Well, it depends on what angle you are looking at it from.

One of the problems of capitalism is classism, and Nigeria is a very good case study.

The removal of fuel subsidies didn’t start today – while the average man could argue that the previous “removals” – so to say we’re just sort of waivers.

It is interesting to note that: while the price of fuel has, in recent times, gone from N65 to N85 to N98 to N145 to N165 to N185 and then N198, the minimum wage has only gone from N18,000 -N30,000.

Pre-2023 general elections; the 3 most popular candidates, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Fmr. VP. Atiku Abubakar, and Fmr. Gov. Peter Gregory Obi of the APC, PDP, and LP, respectively – who indeed went on to, as the results declared by the electoral umpire, INEC Nigeria released, came 1st, 2nd, and 3rd- all of them indeed said they would remove the subsidy “immediately” they are elected.

For most of the campaign period, it practically looked like the three “major” candidates were photocopies of each other, safe for their names and the logos of the parties they represented. – as a matter of fact, this is the reason some Nigerians decided to “waste” their vote in defence of their consciences by voting for the candidate they believed in (who is not a top contender).

While some Nigerians celebrate the removal of fuel subsidies by the new president, the supporters of the other presidential candidates have so far, criticised this abrupt removal as measures haven’t been put in place – this, their candidate would have done as well.

There is the belief that top government officials have been sitting pretty on the supposed “subsidy allocation” and milking the country dry, so the move to remove the subsidy will prevent that “fraud.” – interesting times, really. The question is, can we trust the government to judiciously use this money for infrastructural development, as they have indeed claimed?

Because this is how it practically is – let’s say you have a rich uncle who gives your cousin N1m each year, to reduce the actual cost of your rent, which is N1m. This means, you would have needed to add just N100k to complete the rent, but your cousin, behind you, gives you N800k, and you add 300k to pay your rent, While you are happy that your uncle is helping to subsidise your rent, your cousin has been enjoying your N200k for free. Now, your cousin will be travelling, and he introduces his best friend to your uncle to take his position of playing the “middle man.” – in the twist of the event, your cousin’s friend tells you that instead of giving you the 800k, they would be investing that money in something that would be beneficial to you. While this means you will have to come up with the entire N1.1m rent fee, what is the assurance that indeed, a friend of your cousin who had been stealing your $200k) will be sincere enough to truly put that money into what benefits you?

While you ponder on this analogy cum- question.

Permit me to remind you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, + Buhari + Oshiomole + Tunde Bakare, and others led a protest against the removal of Fuel Subsidies when Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was president.

Is it that, Nigeria does not have other ways to generate funds to do these “purported” infrastructural developments and the only thing they could do is lift the subsidy which is the only fraud that benefits the average Nigerian?

How will Nigerians with a minimum wage of N30,000 cope with buying fuel at over N500 and a bag of rice at almost N40,000 with the impending potential inflation in the prices of every other product – owing, of course, to the increment in the price of PMS with which products would be transported from one location to another?

What is the assurance that the removal of this fuel subsidy isn’t another fraud?

While politicians queue up in turns to loot Nigeria, the masses queue up in turns to buy what they “own” at an exorbitant price.

After all the political banter, ethnic bigotry, and religious enmity/intolerance, Nigerians are now united in suffering.

Indeed, the removal of this fuel subsidy will favour Nigerians – it only depends on the side of the divide you fall in.