Boat operators under the auspices of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association have lauded President Bola Tinubu over the removal of fuel subsidy.
Tinubu had in his inauguration speech on Monday in Abuja stated that his administration would not continue to pay subsidy on petrol.
Reacting to this, the President of WABOTAN, Babatope Fajemirokun, in a chat with journalists in Lagos described the move as a bitter pill necessary for the country’s healing.
Sometimes, you have to swallow a bitter pill to get healed; we have seen this subsidy removal as such. We see this government as listening government and open. We want them to bring up whatever palliative is necessary to cushion the effect. Some Nigerians have been clamouring for the removal of subsidy for a long time. Some have even described it as a fraud. So, it is a welcomed idea, and we will get used to it. For us as boat operators, we do not think this is something that would choke everybody,” he noted.
Fajemirokun described Tinubu as the only Nigerian president that understood the importance of the maritime sector to the gross domestic product of the economy.
He, however, urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to consider handing over the newly commissioned jetties across the state to WABOTAN to help manage them for optimal performance.
