When the fuel subsidy was removed in Nigeria during the inauguration of this present administration, many people focused on one thing: the sudden spike in the cost of living. Transport fares went up like twice, food prices increasd, and businesses that depended on fuel struggled to survive while even some crashed. For ordinary citizens like us, the effect was immediate and painful because there was no salary review to cater for this increase.
But beyond the economic hardship lies a deeper question: where does theft fit into the story of subsidy removal? This is a big question that requires true answers.
Most people think of theft as someone taking what does not belong to them. For example a pickpocket steals a wallet. An armed robber steals property. These are easy examples to understand because the victim can clearly see what has been taken.
The theft connected to subsidy removal is different. It is less visible, yet its effects is much larger.
For many years, fuel subsidy was presented as a way to make petrol affordable for Nigerians I could remember the president that reversed fuel price something that has never happened before in the history of Nigeria Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was his name of blessed memory everyone still talks about him today.
Let me explain what fuel subsidy is “the government pays part of the cost so citizens could buy fuel at lower prices”. On paper, the idea sounded beneficial. In reality, however, reports of fraud, inflated claims, and abuse became common. Large sums of public money were spent, yet we the citizens saw little improvement in our daily lives.
This raises an uncomfortable question. If billions were spent in the name of helping the people, but a significant portion of those funds ended up benefiting a small group through manipulation and corruption, what should that be called?
I would call it theft. They use the fund to sponsor the life they could not afford and end up with protruded stomach
Not theft carried out on a street corner, but theft carried out through a corrupt systems. Money that could have been used to improve roads, hospitals, schools, electricity, and public transportation was repeatedly swallowed by inefficiency and corruption.
The removal of subsidy exposed a painful reality. It forced us to ask how a country rich in oil could spend enormous amounts on fuel support year after year while still struggling with poor infrastructure and widespread poverty everywhere.
Removing a system that has been abused does not automatically solve the existing problem. If corruption was present before subsidy removal, we the citizens naturally worry that the same corruption could simply appear elsewhere. Savings from subsidy removal mean little if they are not managed transparently. We want to know where the money is going and what benefits are being created in return.
In the real sense we are willing to endure temporary hardship when we can clearly see a better future ahead. The problem arises when sacrifices are demanded without actual real results. We begin to feel that we are carrying the burden while others continue to enjoy the rewards.
In many ways, the real theft is not only the loss of money. It is the loss of opportunities. Every mismanaged public fund represents a school that was not built, a hospital that was not equipped, a road that was not repaired or construcruct, or a job that was never created. These losses may not appear on a receipt, but they affect our lives every day.
The discussion about subsidy removal should therefore go beyond fuel prices. It should also focus on accountability. Nigerians deserve to know how public resources are used. They deserve systems that serve the many rather than enrich the few.
