For months, the Federal Government has been canvassing for the removal of the fuel subsidy, with President Goodluck Jonathan saying that the country would collapse if government continued to support the subsidy.
In 2011 for instance, N240 billion was budgeted for fuel subsidy, however, the Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke revealed that N1.3trillion had been spent on subsidy during the year.
According to the President, money realised from the subsidy can be channelled into infrastructural development.
A lot of Nigerians are, however, not buying any of the government’s excuses and rationales and the (FG) has been urged to jettison the proposed removal of the fuel subsidy, to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
The poll conducted by the CLEEN foundation, a non-profit organisation, and the Alliance For Credible Election (ACE), Nigeria detailed the reactions of a cross section of Nigerians to the FG’s plan.
The poll was conducted between October 31 and November 4, 2011 via telephone interviews among 1,032 Nigerian respondents, aged 18 and above and living in different parts of the country.
The survey was conducted in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, and carried out using randomly selected telephone numbers across the six geo-political zones.
The survey showed that more than six in ten (66%) of the respondents were aware of the planned removal of fuel subsidy, with more men (70%) than women (68%) aware.
The south-west, the region with the highest level of awareness, had slightly more than 8 out of every 10 respondents (87%) saying they did not support the removal of subsidy from the price of petrol.
13% said they support the removal because subsidising petrol prices was a waste of resources. 33% of the 13% said the money should be channelled into infrastructural development; 17% said the masses do not benefit from subsidy, rather only a few people do; while 13% said that the removal will encourage competition in the petroleum sector which will in the long run reduce the price of petrol.
During the poll, 69% of the respondents stated that subsidy removal would lead to increase in price of goods and services, while 11% of the respondent believed that the subsidy is the only benefit Nigerians (as citizens of an oil producing country) have enjoyed from the government.
46% of respondents believe Nigerians will protest the removal of the subsidy through public demonstrations and industrial actions/strikes. They also added that the police does not have the capacity to nip the widespread protests that will occur if the government removes the subsidy.
As an alternative to subsidy removal, the respondents urged FG to commence the refining of fuel locally before subsidy removal can be considered.
They also advised that new refineries should be built; existing ones repaired to function to the maximum under proper management; corruption should be fought in NNPC and the oil industry: and illegal bunkering and theft of oil in the Niger Delta should be stopped.