FORMER Governor of Ekiti State and former Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of lacking the political will to remove Nigeria’s long-standing fuel subsidy during his administration, despite enjoying the backing of key stakeholders including state governors at the time.
News Point Nigeria reports that Fayemi made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference, where he examined the country’s economic trajectory, leadership values, and the boldness required to implement tough policy decisions.
Addressing the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests that greeted Jonathan’s attempted subsidy removal, Fayemi revealed that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), of which he was a member, had strongly advocated for ending the subsidy regime due to its economic strain on government finances.
“When we’re talking about 2012 Occupy Nigeria and the opposition to President Jonathan, the truth of the matter was that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, of which I was a member, were the major advocates for subsidy removal,” he said.
He noted that although the then-opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), publicly rejected the policy, several of its senior members including himself and former Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole actively defended subsidy removal during town hall engagements.
“Yes, my party, the Action Congress of Nigeria at the time, did not support subsidy removal. In fact, myself and Oshiomhole were active promoters of it in all the town hall meetings that were held at the time,” Fayemi added.
He argued that Jonathan capitulated to political pressure instead of standing firmly on an economically sound reform that would have reduced fiscal waste and curbed corruption associated with fuel importation claims.
“I think when people want to blame the opposition for not lining up behind President Jonathan, there’s something to be said for President Jonathan lacking the conviction to go ahead to do what he believed in and ensure that subsidy is removed,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Fayemi commended the incumbent for terminating the subsidy regime immediately after assuming office, despite the sharp rise in living costs and public criticism that followed.
“What did President Tinubu do? He came in and said subsidy is gone from day one. He could have opted out of it, especially when the pressure started mounting in the first month and prices began to rise. But he stayed on course and that is the courage we must commend him for,” he noted.
Fayemi, however, warned that beyond courage, government must prioritize effective management of the policy’s ripple effects particularly inflation, energy costs, and widespread economic hardship.
“The devil is always in the detail,” he cautioned. “What comes after is how you manage it so that the population does not feel a sense of loss, as they are feeling at this particular point in time.”
Turning to youth participation in governance, Fayemi encouraged young Nigerians to be proactive, arguing that leadership opportunities are seldom handed out.
“Young people should not wait to be invited,” he advised. “Nobody invited me in; it was my values and belief that a better Nigeria is possible that drew me into activism from academia, and from activism into politics.”
He stressed that leadership should not be motivated by personal wealth or political ambition, but grounded in integrity, mentorship, delayed gratification, and service to the common good.