There was one thing that surprised me after the subsidy was removed by Tinubu- Gumi

In a recent interview reported by The Nation, Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, spoke about his controversial negotiations with bandits, his experiences during visits to their camps, the Nigerian economy, President Bola Tinubu’s reforms and the 2027 general elections.

Gumi said the removal of the fuel subsidy was an inevitable consequence of Nigeria’s economic circumstances. However, he noted that he would have preferred the government to establish strong social safety nets before implementing the policy.

He explained that the impact of the subsidy removal could have been better managed if adequate measures had been put in place to protect Nigerians from its effects.

The cleric, however, observed that two or three years had passed since the policy was introduced, adding that the government should have adjusted its approach by then.

He said, “There was one thing that surprised me after the subsidy removal, it was that I expected Nigerian roads to become relatively empty because of the increase in petrol prices.

“To my surprise, traffic congestion continued, particularly on major highways such as the Abuja-Kaduna road.

“You still see long queues of vehicles extending for kilometres, sometimes because of accidents or other obstructions”

He said the continued purchase of petrol by Nigerians, despite rising prices, suggested that they still had money to spend on the product.

He admitted that he was not an economist but observed that Nigerians often complained about the high cost of petrol while continuing to buy it because it was a necessity.

He cited the ongoing construction work on the Abuja-Kaduna road as an example of progress, noting that the project had virtually stalled under the previous administration but had since resumed significantly.

He also pointed to the establishment of several universities across the country, including federal, state and private institutions, as developments that deserved recognition.

He maintained that the economy was recording growth, with improvements in some sectors, but acknowledged that many Nigerians remained unemployed, lacked access to adequate education and struggled to make ends meet.

He therefore urged the government to pay greater attention to vulnerable Nigerians at the bottom of the economic ladder.

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