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Adams Oshiomhole

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has recalled how he mobilised residents of Ogun State to protest against the removal of petrol subsidy during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Oshiomhole, who was president of the Nigeria Labour Congress at the time, said his opposition to the policy was driven by concerns that ordinary Nigerians would not receive the benefits of the savings generated from subsidy removal.

The Edo North senator made the disclosure at the seventh national discourse organised by The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, at the University of Lagos.

Speaking on Nigeria’s political landscape and ethnic and religious divisions, Oshiomhole said he travelled to Abeokuta and mobilised Ogun residents to oppose the Obasanjo administration’s policy.

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He recalled that workers and students also participated in the protests, describing the mobilisation as part of the labour movement’s resistance to policies it believed would worsen the hardship faced by Nigerians.

According to him, his concern at the time was not simply the removal of subsidy but the absence of strong systems to ensure that savings from the policy would be properly used for the benefit of the population.

Oshiomhole said some Nigerians who had previously criticised his opposition to subsidy removal have now complained about the rising cost of petrol and its impact on household incomes.

The senator used the experience to reflect on the current economic situation and the difficulties facing Nigerians.

His comments also touched on the broader question of political divisions in Nigeria.

Oshiomhole argued that economic hardship affects Nigerians regardless of ethnic or religious background and should therefore not be reduced to ethnic competition.

He said poor Nigerians across the country share many of the same challenges and that political discussions should focus more on issues affecting ordinary citizens.

The former Edo State governor’s recollection comes as fuel prices and the cost of living remain major issues in Nigeria’s political debate.

Fuel subsidy removal has remained one of the most contentious economic policies in the country, with successive governments struggling to balance fiscal pressures with the effect of energy costs on households and businesses.

Oshiomhole’s account provides a historical comparison between the labour protests of the Obasanjo era and the economic debates surrounding subsidy reforms today.

His remarks also underline the changing political positions surrounding fuel subsidy and the broader question of how governments should cushion the impact of major economic reforms on citizens.

The Traffic NG
Adams Oshiomhole
Amarachi Ihesiulo
The Traffic NG

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