Buhari didn’t remove fuel subsidy because he cared about Nigerians – Femi Adesina

Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari has described the former leader as a “friend of the masses,” emphasizing that this quality informed many of his policies and decisions while in office. 

Adesina made the remarks in a tribute celebrating Buhari’s 82nd birthday on Tuesday, December 17.

Reflecting on Buhari’s leadership, Adesina attributed the former president’s decision to retain fuel subsidies during his tenure to his concern for ordinary Nigerians. “The Big Elephant in the room (was the) removal of fuel subsidy. Did you think the Government didn’t know that the money-guzzling monster had to be slain? It knew. But who ensured that subsidies remained as long as it did? Buhari. And why? The people, the ordinary people. His argument was always simple,” Adesina wrote.

Adesina recalled Buhari’s reasoning during government meetings, stating, “When oil sold for at least $100 per barrel in the international market, rising even to as high as $140 per barrel, what did the ordinary people gain? Nothing! So why should they be the ones to bear the brunt when oil prices fall?”

Adesina described Buhari as “Ore Mekunu,” a Yoruba phrase meaning “friend of the poor,” and noted that this characteristic still draws people to him even in retirement. He added, “He didn’t want to do something that would throw society into a tailspin for the sake of the ordinary people,” even when Buhari’s position on subsidies aligned with other political leaders toward the end of his administration.

Nearly two years after leaving office, Adesina observed that Buhari’s disposition toward the masses continues to resonate, as people still gather around him. “He still draws the people like magnets even in retirement,” Adesina said, celebrating the enduring legacy of the former president’s concern for the underprivileged.