By: Abdullahi Inuwa
The debate over fuel subsidy should not be reduced to whether government should pay or stop paying, according to the Young Progressives Party (YPP) presidential candidate, Peter Agada.
Agada argued that the real question Nigerians should be asking is who ultimately benefits from the billions of naira committed to subsidies and how those resources can be redirected to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
He proposed that subsidy funds should be taken closer to the people by channeling them directly to the wards, where they can be used to stimulate grassroots economic development.
According to him, the money should finance small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clusters, boost agriculture and food production, and support specialised, CUG-driven industrial and manufacturing initiatives at the local level.
Agada said such an approach would ensure that public resources do not remain concentrated at the centre but are converted into tangible economic opportunities for communities.
“The subsidy money should be channeled directly to the wards,” Agada said, stressing that the resources must be deployed where they can have the greatest impact on the people.
He maintained that directing the funds towards productive activities at the grassroots would help create businesses, strengthen food production, expand manufacturing and generate opportunities for Nigerians.
The YPP presidential candidate therefore urged policymakers to shift the focus of the subsidy conversation from simply whether subsidies should exist to how the money can be used transparently and productively for the benefit of citizens.
For Agada, the ultimate test is not the amount spent on subsidy, but whether the resources translate into jobs, businesses, food security and economic development in Nigerian communities.
Source:@ARISEtv
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