Fuel subsidy removal: How I made Ogun people protest against Obasanjo – Oshiomhole

Former Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has revealed how he orchestrated protests against fuel subsidy removal during the era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Ogun State. Oshiomhole made this disclosure at the seventh national discourse by The Companion, a group of Muslim businessmen and professionals, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

The event, themed 'Nigeria’s Political Landscape and The Ethno-Religious Divides', was headed by Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano, with Lagos' Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hazmat, as the guest of honor.

During the discourse, Oshiomhole shared his experience of visiting Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, and rallying support from individuals such as Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, to oppose the removal of petrol subsidy under Obasanjo. He expressed his reluctance to agree with the removal of the subsidy, believing that the government led by Obasanjo at the time lacked the ability to distribute the benefits fairly among all Nigerians.

Oshiomhole recalled stating, "when I was President of the NLC, for example, I went to Abeokuta and told the people there, this subsidy Baba wants to take, he can take it, but he cannot give it back to the poor because they say it's wasteful." He emphasized that while Obasanjo could take the subsidy, he lacked the capability to share it effectively due to the absence of necessary systems for equitable distribution.

To demonstrate this to the local populace, Oshiomhole mobilized Ogun residents, including Salisu, into a strike against Obasanjo's administration.