TALKING BEFORE THEY THINK : No plan to remove oil subsidy ... Presidency (YEYE DE SMELL)

THE Federal Government has no immediate plan to remove petroleum subsidy contrary to the perception of Nigerians arising from President Goodluck Jonathan recent remarks on the matter.
Giving this new position was the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who assured in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that the president was mindful of the feelings of Nigerians concerning the withdrawal of subsidy.
The presidential aide noted that despite Jonathan’s recent remark concerning subsidy, “the administration, as a matter of policy, had no plans in that direction.”
Okupe said that the President was mindful of the reactions and plight of the Nigerian people as he maintained that sufficient allocation for fuel subsid has already been made in the 2013 budget and “therefore there is no cause for alarm on removal of fuel subsidy.”
Recalling the president’s remark made at the Economic Summit in Lagos, which generated fresh fears on possible subsidy withdrawal, Okupe described it  a “a frank, intellectual and well-articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective.”
According to Okupe “The President and this administration are not insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian Masses and will continue to pursue and execute policies and programmes that are in the overall interest of majority of Nigerians and that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of our teeming population.”
The presidential aide was of he opinion that “It is an undeniable fact that every responsible leadership, genuine stakeholder and patriot must be worried when a Nation spends about  N1trillion, an equivalent of about 20% of the National Budget, on subsidy paid out to a few Companies and enjoyed in the main by very few elites, while the common man benefits only minimally.”
He added: “Contrary to the speculation in the media and assumption by certain groups within the polity, we wish to state categorically that, the removal of oil subsidy is not on the table of the Transformation Agenda of the President.
“The statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the recent Economic Summit held in Lagos was a frank, intellectual and well articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective.”
“Finally, for the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of being repetitive, this administration is not considering the issue of removal of fuel subsidy in the nearest future and certainly will not embark on any such programme without extensive consultations and engagements across the various segments, interests and stakeholders in the Nigerian polity.”