Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has said that Nigerians are not averse to the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) but are waiting for the federal government to win their trust over the issue.
Osifo said this while speaking during a panel session at the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Strategic International Conference in Lagos on Thursday.
According to him, the majority of Nigerians weren’t really interested in the energy transition, but were only concerned about affordable and reliable energy.
He noted that the downstream sector hadn’t achieved its potential due to the thorny issue of the PMS subsidy.
Osifo said, “The Presidency should come out and say that they’re reducing their budget. The National Assembly also needs to do so. That’s leading by example.
“Nigerians aren’t really averse to the subsidy removal, but the government must be ready to demonstrate not just by talking but by doing and by acting.
“The government must demonstrate that if subsidies must go, this must reflect in our education, it must reflect in our healthcare and also our level of infrastructure.
“So, the trust deficit that Nigerians have must be addressed before we can make any progress.”
