The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has vowed to remove the fuel subsidy if elected as president in the 2023 general election.

Obi described the payment of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government as an “organised crime”.

The Federal Government recently said it will stop the payment of fuel subsidy by the end of June 2023.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The People’s Townhall in Abuja on Sunday, the LP presidential candidate claimed the Federal Government has removed the fuel subsidy.

The former governor of Anambra State said: “They have removed it. That’s what they’ve done. “But I can assure you, it will go immediately. Subsidy, I’ve said it before, is an organised crime and I will not allow it to stay a day longer.

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“What they’re telling you is not what it is. Half of what is being mentioned is not subsidy. First is that we consume the quantity that is not supposed to be consumed here. We are the same population with Pakistan. They consume below 50 per cent of what we consume.

“So, the first half, I will remove it and give those people who are drinking it water, because that’s what they’re supposed to drink, so we can save the money.”

Obi further promised to copy what was done in South Africa and Egypt to tackle the issue of power generation and distribution in Nigeria.

The former governor stated that his administration will generate and distribute no fewer than 20,000 megawatts within four years in office if elected as president in 2023.

Obi, who travelled to Egypt in 2023 to understudy how the country solved its power problems, said: “We have to open up like South Africa has done. They have power issues like us, even though they are 60 million and they are generating almost 40-something-thousand, they declared an emergency and said anybody can generate up to 100,000 megawatts without licence.

“If somebody who is 60 million generating almost 50,000 declared an emergency, we declare war here on power. If it will consume everybody, it will consume us, but we will get power.

“Egypt did the same thing. Egypt had about 20,000. One of their studies showed that power is a critical issue. Today, Egypt is generating almost 50,000.

“In fact, Egypt is exporting power to Europe. If these things can be done around us – South Africa and Egypt – why not Nigeria?” the LP presidential standard-bearer said.

The Star