Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, on Sunday, 29 September 2024 urged the organisers of the planned October 1 Fearless protest to reconsider their demonstration and instead engage with the Federal Government to address their concerns.
The governor said these while giving a remark during the Special Church Service marking Nigeria’s 64th National Day celebration, held at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Ake, Abeokuta, the State Capital.
Abiodun also buttressed that the subsidy removal policy implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s administration would help save Nigeria a substantial N5.4 trillion by the end of 2024.
The Ogun governor, however, urged Nigerians to engage with the Federal Government in a constructive manner, rather than joining forces with those who seek to create chaos. He emphasizes that protests will only lead to destructive outcomes, such as looting and vandalism of public properties, rather than fostering meaningful change.
He said "Let us be resilient, let us continue to pray, let us persevere, and let us hold on to our faith in Almighty God.
“Let us not join those who continue to fan the flames of discord in our land, and those who are calling for protests, violence, and civil disobedience, which only leads to vandalism, looting, and destruction of public property.
“Let us engage constructively and work with the government, knowing that this administration is an inclusive one,” he said.
Abiodun also revealed that his administration would thrive to implement measures to mitigate the effects of the present realities, while noting that his administration has deployed CNG buses, started energy transition programmes with the launching of e-bikes, reduced workdays for civil servants from five to three days, and provided free medical services for the poor and the elderly, among other initiatives.
Governor Abiodun announced that his administration is nearing completion of farmers' markets in all four state zones. Additionally, the Gateway Trading Company will soon launch, offering food items at wholesale prices to benefit residents.
“We will soon complete our farmers’ markets across the four zones of the state, where food items will be sold at affordable prices.
Very soon, you will see our Gateway Trading Company that will start selling different items in different zones across the four zones of the state at wholesale prices. We will continue these types of initiatives to cushion the effects of the current realities,” he said.
Speaking on subsidy removal Abiodun noted that for the government to continue to pay such a significant sum on fuel subsidies would have been disastrous, especially given the Federal Government’s N6.7 trillion budget for the same fiscal year.
He said the money is now available for the development of infrastructures across the country
While reacting on the issue of subsidy removal , Abiodun noted that for the government to continue to pay such a reasonable sum on fuel subsidies would have been disastrous, especially given the Federal Government’s N6.7 trillion budget for the same fiscal year.
With the removal of fuel subsidies, N5.4 trillion is now available for infrastructure development across Nigeria, enabling the government to invest in critical projects such as roads, bridges, airports, and power plants .
“The Federal Government, under the amiable leadership of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, wasted no time in embarking on some very bold and audacious initiatives aimed at repositioning our economy and saving us from bankruptcy. We must persevere.
“Mr. President removed the subsidy, which, if not curbed, would have cost us N5.4 trillion by the end of 2024.
“We have been busy subsidizing our neighbours; these are funds that can be invested in improving our infrastructure and other social services.
“Our budget this year for infrastructure was N6.7 trillion, meanwhile, the subsidy would have consumed N5.4 trillion, if not curbed or checked,” Abiodun explained
