Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) national leader and former governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has accused the Jonathan presidency of shirking its social contract with the people by suddenly removing petrol subsidy.

He, however, provided a window out of the crisis: if subsidy must be removed at all, it must never be at one fell swoop. He said it must be on calibrated phases, on which the promised gains are measured and confirmed before moving to the next phase of removal.

“Government must modify the sudden and complete removal of the subsidy. Either we restore the subsidy or use the funds for other social purposes,” Tinubu counselled in a special statement he captioned, ‘Removal of oil subsidy – President Jonathan breaks social contract with the people’ and which he personally signed.

“If we are to use the funds for other programmes, these programmes shall be placed on parallel track with the subsidy. As more of these programmes are ready to go on line, then, the subsidy can be lifted in phases. In this way, the public is assured government will not lower its total expenditure on their behalf, thus maintaining the spirit central to the social contract,” he said.

The former governor cautioned the federal government against economic policies that tend to balance the books at the detriment of the people’s welfare.

He said: “As there are progressive politics, there are progressive economics. As there are elitist politics, there are elitist economics.” It all depends on what and who in society government would rather favour. The Jonathan tax represents a new standard in elitism.”

The ACN national leader cautioned the president against being captive to economic orthodoxy and its local purveyors, who always look at the Nigerian economy as nothing until when tied to the apron strings of the conservative orthodoxy.

“Because he is slave to wrong-headed economics”; the people will become enslaved to greater misery. This crisis will bear his name and will be his legacy. The people now pay a steep tax for voting him into office. The removal of the subsidy is the ‘Jonathan tax’,” he insisted.

He said subsidy removal is ill-timed and there must be some conditions precedent before such a step could be taken.

“First, government needs to clean up and throw away the salad of corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Then, proceed to lay the foundation for a mass transit system in the railways and road network with long term bonds and fully develop the energy sector towards revitalising Nigeria’s economy and easing the burden any subsidy removal may have on the people,” he said.

The former governor counselled protesters to go about the protests in a peaceful manner and to eschew all forms of violence.

I have nothing to say, over to you my people

Why didn't you advice the govt.when u are an opposition party but you and ur cronies advice the masses to protest against the govt, this is not the time to remove subsidy cox price of commodities in the market are inversely proportional to our salaries, where minimum wage is constant.