Nigerian authorities have postponed removing subsidies on petroleum products until further notice. Hajia Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning, announced this during a meeting at the National Assembly.The Minister said, “Provision was made in the 2022 budget for subsidy payment from January till June. That suggested that from July, there would be no subsidy.” The provision was made sequel to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act which indicated that all petroleum products would be deregulated.“Sequel to the passage of the PIA, we went back to amend the fiscal framework to incorporate the subsidy removal. “However, after the budget was passed, we had consultations with a number of stakeholders and it became clear that the timing was problematic”. The National Economic Council (NEC) had recommended an increase in the pump price of fuel from N162.50 to N302 per litre after. This recommendation was greatly condemned by Nigerians.
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