Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intentionally kept his plan to remove Nigeria’s fuel subsidy confidential before taking office, fearing that advisers and stakeholders might pressure him to reconsider the policy.
Speaking during a visit by state governors to the President’s Lagos residence as part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations and activities marking the administration’s third year in office, Shettima said the decision had been carefully planned long before Tinubu’s inauguration.
According to the Vice President, the fuel subsidy removal was deliberately excluded from the President’s inaugural address because Tinubu wanted to avoid any attempts to dissuade him from implementing what he believed was a necessary economic reform.
Shettima described the move as a bold demonstration of leadership, noting that the President was willing to make difficult choices for the long-term benefit of the country despite the political and economic risks involved.
He argued that the administration inherited a nation facing deep-rooted structural and economic challenges that required decisive action rather than temporary solutions. According to him, Tinubu chose to confront longstanding issues that had weighed heavily on Nigeria’s development for decades, rather than postponing difficult reforms.
The Vice President further stated that governing under such circumstances required courage and a commitment to future generations, describing the administration’s reform agenda as a challenging but necessary process aimed at rebuilding the nation’s economic foundation.
President Tinubu also defended the subsidy removal policy during the gathering, maintaining that the decision prevented Nigeria from sliding into a severe fiscal crisis.
He said the economic reforms introduced by his administration were beginning to produce positive outcomes for both state governments and citizens
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, reportedly praised the President’s leadership, stating that governors within the forum rated his performance highly and credited his administration with steering the country away from economic instability toward greater stability and recovery.