In a compelling address on Wednesday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), strongly advised against the reinstatement of the fuel subsidy, emphasizing that such a move would exacerbate poverty across Nigeria.

Issa-Onilu, who previously served as a spokesperson for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), urged citizens to devise strategies to cope with the economic impact of the subsidy removal under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Issa-Onilu argued that demands from #EndBadGovernance protesters for the subsidy’s return are driven by emotion rather than economic logic.

He underscored that reintroducing the subsidy would not alleviate poverty but instead, would worsen it.

Issa-Onilu encouraged Nigerians to focus on adapting to the subsidy removal and highlighted various government initiatives aimed at ensuring survival without it.

He acknowledged the deep-seated trust issues between the government and the public and stressed the need for the administration to demonstrate its commitment to keeping its promises.

“Anybody who is making a demand that subsidy removal should be brought back is making an emotional demand, not an economic demand because you have to also prove that if it is brought back, it will solve the issue of poverty; it will not, it will aggravate it,” Issa-Onilu stated.

He called on Nigerians to concentrate on how to thrive despite the subsidy removal and to support the government’s efforts to manage this transition. Addressing information managers,

Issa-Onilu said, “It is difficult to talk to a people who have for several years been let down. Nigerians feel let down. The first question they ask you is: ‘Is this another promise that will not be kept?’ So, we must prove to Nigerians that this government is keeping to its promises.”