A staunch supporter of former President Ibrahim Babangida, Hassan Mohammed Jallo, has asked persons criticising the former president over his comments on the removal of fuel subsidy to desist as he(IBB) was not only? entitled to his opinion but clearly left legacies which governments after him could learn from.??????????????????????????????????????????????
Following his comments that the removal of fuel subsidy was ill-timed, the former president had come under the attack of some persons, especially in the media, criticising his moral right to do so, citing his role in alleged introduction of harsh policies, increase in petroleum pump price and even mismanagement of the nation’s oil windfall during his era .???????????????????????????????????????????????????
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Weekend, however, Jallo said those critisising IBB were doing so from point of sycophancy and mischief as the legacies left by the former president would always speak for him.?????????????????????
“ I am totally in support of what former President Babangida has said. This oil subsidy removal is ill-timed, ill-conceived and inhuman. Babangida left government with petrol selling at the pump price of 70k per liter, built the Eleme Petrochemicals Company, NAFCON, National Eye Center, built the Int’l Conference Centre, Abuja, the three biggest hotels in Abuja and he created over 10 states and well over 400 local governments? and then a barrel was between? $10 to $20,yet he was able to build two? power stations at Niger and Lagos states.
“His legacies can be seen, felt and touched. No regime after him has beaten his record. So when you mentioning a leader who has performed there is no president that has done one – third of what IBB achieved in Nigeria,” Jallo said.?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
He regretted that no refinery, fertilizer plant and meaningful infrastruture had been put in place since the IBB government handed over power, describing as a dishonor the advice of the former Predsident.???????????????????????????
“ I think instead of attacking the person of Gen. Babangida, what needed to be done was to appreciate his honest and selfless advice as a past leader and adhere strictly to his advice but rather what we see are attempts to politicise issues and attempt to smear names.????????????????????????????????
“If he talks it is news, if he does not it is equally termed news and I really wonder what really is expected of him,” Hassan said.??????????
The IBB associate who described the removal of fuel subsidy as a misplacement of priorority said the security situation ought to have been tacled first.????????????????????????
“There is a lot of uncertainty in the land and yet instead of government to bring palliative measures to the people, what they did as to give us a New Year gift of subsidy removal.???????
What is the business of government if it cannot subsribe to its citizens? We are the sixth producer of oil in the world and the Nigerian masses do not benefit anything from government. We pay so much on everything and the only thing that we believe that we should enjoy is this subsidy of petrol which we produce. If the government goes ahead and removes it then what is government providing to the people?” Jallo queried.