Two months have passed since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu eliminated petrol subsidy, assuring that it would channel funds towards education, stable power supply, transport infrastructure, and healthcare. However, Nigerians are expressing their disappointment as they have yet to experience any favorable outcomes from this decision.

The public's discontent stems from the belief that their living conditions have worsened instead of improving. They are voicing strong objections to the president's implementation of what they see as an economic policy that works against the interests of the people.

During his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on Monday, May 29, after being sworn in as Nigeria's 16th president, Tinubu explicitly stated that the 2023 budget did not allocate funds for fuel subsidy. He argued that subsidy payments were no longer justifiable and pledged to redirect those funds towards infrastructure and other economic strengthening initiatives.

However, after a period of two months, Nigerians have evaluated their circumstances and reached the conclusion that their lives were far better off before the subsidy removal. Meeting their own needs and those of their loved ones has become increasingly challenging.

In response to this situation, they are urging the president to take immediate action by either reversing the policy or addressing the state of the nation's refineries to enable local refining of petroleum products. This, they believe, would make pump prices more affordable for the average citizen.

According to Murtala Abubakar, the Coordinator of the Arewa Defence League (ADL), the policy of removing fuel subsidy has caused severe hardship for thousands of families in the northern part of the country.

He lamented that numerous members of the Arewa Defence League, including professionals, artisans, traders, civil servants, and businessmen, are now struggling to afford three square meals due to President Tinubu's abrupt decision to remove fuel subsidy.

Abubakar expressed his disappointment with the government's approach, stating that instead of pursuing those responsible for stealing subsidy funds, holding them accountable, and recovering the misappropriated money, the government has allowed them to escape consequences while inflicting hardships on the citizens. This situation has left many feeling let down by the government's actions.

"In a just society, the subsidy thieves would already be behind bars. However, this government is shielding them from prosecution and avoiding the retrieval of the money they stole," remarked Abubakar.

He further highlighted the distressing situation on the streets of Kaduna, where an increasing number of beggars can be seen, and people are compelled to sell their properties for survival. The soaring prices of essential food items have made it difficult for individuals to afford them, leading to stagnant incomes and financial hardships.

Alhamdu China, a trader and businessman who runs a barber's shop in the Barnawa area of Kaduna, shared his perspective on how the removal of fuel subsidy has negatively impacted businesses in the state. He revealed that their barber's shop is no longer making ends meet due to a decline in customers, caused by the need to raise service prices to cope with the high cost of petrol used to power their generators.

"We implore the government to extend its help to us because this work we rely on is our only means of survival. Our responsibilities include providing for our children, paying school fees, and meeting our domestic needs. The removal of fuel subsidy has dealt a severe blow to businesses, pushing many towards untimely deaths.

The situation is evident even in hospitals, where the number of sick people has surged. Unfortunately, the rising costs have made it difficult for people to afford essential items like medicine and food. Every commodity's price has surged. In this time of poverty and hunger, we plead with the government to address these pressing issues. Repairing our refineries and ensuring their proper functioning will undoubtedly contribute to reducing the cost of fuel and alleviating the hardships faced by Nigerians."

Amina Mustapha embarked on a journey to the Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) in Duguri, Alkaleri Council of Bauchi State, with her 15-month-old malnourished daughter. Her goal was to obtain the life-saving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), essential for treating severe wasting in children under five years. However, upon arrival, she received disheartening news that the RUTF was currently unavailable.

The realization that her trip had been in vain weighed heavily on her mind as she contemplated her next move. Amina's community, Yalo, was located about 25 kilometers away from Duguri, and she had managed to secure a ride on a truck carrying goods to the area just to reach the health facility.

With her baby crying due to hunger, Amina faced a dilemma. She needed N1,000 to hire a commercial motorcycle (okada) to return home, or she could wait until evening when people would be returning from the market. However, she had no money to buy food for her hungry child. Despite her baby's cries, Amina felt helpless, saying, "I will walk home because my baby is hungry, and I don't have any money to feed her," when asked to attend to her crying child.

According to Yahaya Duguri, a staff member at the clinic, a significant number of patients, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers, are missing their antenatal care and immunization appointments due to the high cost of transportation.

"Their attendance has noticeably dropped compared to our usual records. Many of them are expressing concerns about the increased transportation fares. Since most patients come from neighboring communities, they have to rely on hiring bikes," he explained.

The situation at Yelwa Domiciliary PHCC in Bauchi metropolis is similar. Umar Mohammed, one of the auxiliary health care providers, noted the change in patient numbers, saying, "In the past, by 5:00 am, we used to have a large number of them here, picking numbers because of the high turnout. Sometimes, we attended to over 300 women. However, today, it's about 9:30 am, and we have seen less than 150 of them."

He reported that many women are distressed by the exorbitant cost of transportation to the clinic. Hanatul Luka, who was at Bayara General Hospital with her antenatal care card, engaged in a heated argument with a commercial motorcyclist over the sudden fare increase.

Expressing her hardships, she revealed, "Times are really tough. I came here for antenatal care with my last N500. I could only afford pap for breakfast this morning. Now, this N500 won't be enough to get me back home. It used to cost me only N250 for this distance. How will I manage to come for the next antenatal appointment?"

Lamenting the situation, Ibuchukwu Ezike, the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), disapproved of the belief that the country's current hardship was solely due to the removal of fuel subsidy. According to him, the increase in petrol prices cannot be attributed to subsidy removal, as there has never been a subsidy on fuel in the country. He stated that the current hardships were purposely imposed as a form of punishment on Nigerians.

"CLO firmly rejects the notion that petroleum products have been subsidized for Nigerians since 1989, when the subsidy was removed during the tenure of Maj. General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). At that time, various Nigerian groups, including the radical National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the radical press, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), human rights associations, and left organizations, united to protest against the removal of the subsidy and the unjustified surge in fuel pump prices."

"The price adjustments were implemented with rationale, and the government introduced certain programs to mitigate the severe impacts of petrol subsidy removal. In 1989, the protest opposing this move was termed the 'anti-Structural Adjustment Programme (Anti-SAP) protest.' To support the protesters, Anti-SAP buses were made available for workers, students, professional associations like the NBA, NMA, farmers' unions, and the general public. Furthermore, there were no increments in school fees, foodstuff prices, rents, or household goods. However, salaries of workers were increased during that time.

Since then, Nigeria has not reintroduced oil subsidy. Instead, there has been a regrettable decline in the country's oil refineries, leading to the shipment of crude oil abroad for refining in countries where some corrupt and oppressive leaders purportedly constructed refineries. Concurrently, an independent marketers union was established to conduct oil business on behalf of the thieving civilian and military political classes. The government began compensating these marketers for shipping crude oil overseas and covering the costs of refining and returning the products to Nigeria. Unfortunately, this money, referred to as subsidy, is paid to the marketers and not to the Nigerian people, who, in turn, continue to suffer under the rule of unscrupulous and insensitive leaders."

Ezike expressed deep sorrow over the significant increase in petroleum product prices, which has led to an astronomical rise in the cost of living.

"Everything has been adversely affected, and the standard of living has plummeted drastically. We are witnessing a surge in social vices such as prostitution, armed robbery, and unemployment, as private employers, unable to cope with paying staff salaries, allowances, and maintaining offices, have downsized their workforce. The list of negative consequences seems endless," lamented the CLO official.

Dr. Maxwell Ngene, a communications expert, commented on the dire situation in the country, stating that Nigerians were facing unprecedented hardship, which has also triggered food inflation, naira devaluation, and a decline in purchasing power.

As a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Ngene emphasized that the past two months have brought Nigeria and its people to their knees, facing tremendous challenges and difficulties.

The policy has left Nigerians seething with anger and frustration. It has created the most severe economic crisis the country has witnessed since its independence. Regrettably, this has cast the president in a negative light, portraying him as an unprepared, unpatriotic, unresponsive, and incompetent leader who disregards public opinion. The removal of fuel subsidy has led to an unparalleled hardship, characterized by food inflation, naira devaluation, diminished purchasing power, youth restiveness, unbearable living conditions, widespread unemployment, and a surge in violence and criminality.

Fuel subsidy politics have also been deemed by critics as a dubious scheme orchestrated by the power elite. Many are skeptical that this policy will ultimately benefit Nigerians in the long term. Such cynics believe that any financial gains resulting from the policy would likely be mismanaged or embezzled by the government, leading to a complete collapse of trust. Trust deficits between the people and their leaders have reached alarming levels. The worst affected by this crisis are the extremely poor households, even in a nation that prides itself as the giant of Africa. Civil servants' salaries have lost their value, and unemployed graduates have lost faith in both the government and the nation's future. Desperate for survival, many have resorted to engaging in criminal activities. This dire situation reflects the depth of the crisis facing the country and its people.

Ngene suggested that the best solution is to return to the pre-removal state. He emphasized the need to revamp the ailing refineries and even construct new ones. Drawing attention to Aliko Dangote's successful refinery project, Ngene pointed out that there is no reason why a country as significant as Nigeria cannot achieve the same.

In an open letter titled, 'Your Withdrawal of Fuel Subsidy by Fiat was Heartless, Reckless, and Ill-Informed,' Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, expressed disappointment with the President's decision. Contrary to expectations of a magnanimous administration based on Tinubu's eight-year experience as a former governor of Lagos State and his celebrated political acumen, the fuel subsidy policy has proven otherwise, as stated in the letter.

Pearse strongly criticized President Tinubu's decision to remove the fuel subsidy, expressing his disapproval of the lack of discussion, negotiation, and consultation surrounding the matter. He asserted that this removal would have far-reaching and devastating effects on all aspects of daily life, primarily due to the astronomical increase in the cost of living.

Furthermore, Pearse accused the President of not only subjecting the people to severe economic hardship but also pushing the nation into a state of panic. The Lagos State Chapter of the Labour Party (LP) also joined in the lamentation, expressing their concern over the detrimental impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians. They criticized the Tinubu administration for what they deemed as incompetence in managing the economy.

Dayo Ekong, the state chairman of the LP, pointed out that an increasing number of people are slipping into abject poverty, and he bemoaned the alarming levels of inflation and currency devaluation within just two months of Tinubu's tenure in office.

In a statement, Ekong revealed that the party was committed to empowering youths and other vulnerable groups by equipping them with essential skills to thrive in society.

He expressed the Lagos State Labour Party's astonishment at the insensitive actions of the Tinubu/APC administration, particularly the recent hike in petrol prices. Instead of easing the burden on the people, the government seems to take pleasure in making life difficult for them.

The party extended its sympathies to the masses, who are bearing the brunt of this unfair price increase. They also assured the people that once the mandate of the LP Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, is restored, he will provide relief and comfort to Nigerians. This difficult period will be temporary, and positive change will come.