Nigeria saves $20bn by removing subsidies – Wale Edun
The Federal Government says it has saved $20 billion by removing petrol subsidy and adopting market-based foreign exchange pricing.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, made this disclosure at an event in Abuja marking the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to him, the two subsidies were costing the country five percent of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
“When there was a subsidy on PMS and on foreign exchange, they collectively cost five percent of GDP. Assuming GDP was $400 billion on average, five percent of that is $20 billion — funds that could now go into infrastructure, health, social services, and education,” he said.
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The minister further noted that the savings are being redirected into developmental projects.
“The real change is that no one can wake up and target cheap funding or forex from the Central Bank to enrich themselves without adding value.
“Similarly, profiteering from the inefficient petrol subsidy regime is no longer possible,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy regime on May 29. However, by August 19, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited revealed that the federal government owed it ₦7.8 trillion for under-recovery, despite earlier denials of any subsidy reintroduction.
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