President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced that 12 million families in Nigeria will receive N8,000 over a span of six months to alleviate the hardships caused by the removal of subsidies. During the plenary session on Thursday, July 13, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read a letter from Tinubu to the House of Representatives, stating that the financial support aims to assist impoverished and vulnerable Nigerians in meeting their basic needs, as reported by The Nation. Tinubu sought approval for additional funding for the national social safety net program, which has been expanded by the national assembly. The President highlighted that this initiative would positively impact around 60 million individuals and assured the public of the process’s transparency by ensuring direct digital transfers to beneficiaries’ accounts.
In response to this development, Nigerians took to social media to express their opinions. Some comments captured by Legit.ng on Twitter include
@Asiwaju__Aso’s perspective advocating for broader measures such as providing free transportation, water, power, and eliminating taxes on essential items like sanitary pads and children’s medicine, as well as improving healthcare facilities.
@dsupreme_01 questioned the long-term plan behind this temporary relief, emphasizing the need for inclusive support for all Nigerians rather than a select few. On the other hand,
@usmanolatunji3 expressed opposition to the initiative, deeming it nonsensical.
Furthermore, President Tinubu recently met with the “Class of ’99” governors, a group of state governors elected in 1999, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Attended by 18 out of 36 governors, the meeting aimed to foster a better nation. Lucky Igbinedion of Edo state, chairman of the Class of 1999 Governors, shared Tinubu’s vision of a subsidy-free future and expressed optimism that the situation would soon stabilize.
