The Nigerian government has resumed paying subsidies on petrol, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Recall that on May 29, 2023, during his swearing-in speech, President Bola Tinubu announced an end to the petrol subsidy.
A few weeks later, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) collapsed the different exchange rate regimes into one, with the value of the naira to the dollar weakening.
The IMF issued a statement over the weekend on the conclusion of its Executive Board’s Post Financing Assessment with Nigeria, and it expressed concerns that the government had capped the prices of fuel at retail stations.
The global lender advised the administration of Mr. Tinubu to completely stop the payment of subsidies on petrol to free funds to run the government.
After the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, the pump price changed from N185 per litre to N40 per litre and then to N568 per litre at NNPC fueling stations, while others currently sell above N600.
The government had said the prices would fluctuate after subsidy removal from time to time, but the pump price has remained steady despite the prices of crude oil in the global market going up and down.
In its latest statement, the IMF said the government has “capped retail fuel and electricity prices” ostensibly to “ease the impact of rapidly rising inflation on living conditions,” “thus partially reversing the fuel subsidy removal.”
However, it noted that “fuel and electricity subsidies are costly, do not reach those that most need government support, and should be phased out completely.”
The bank praised the government for its focus on revenue mobilization and digitalization, stating that this would enhance public service delivery, protect fiscal sustainability, and eliminate the need for CBN financing through ways and means, that have surpassed N20 trillion.
