I will support the removal of fuel subsidy until the following are met:
1. Government at all level must prove that they are prudent with the resources they have now for the next one year. All monies accrue to them for the next one year must be accounted,audited and ratified to be correct.
2. All the refineries in the country must be working at optimal capacity in the next one year
3. Government must allow private refineries be built in the next one year.
4. Daily consumption of fuel must be up to 80% produced locally in the next one year.
5. Corruption in government must be seen reduced to an acceptable minimal in the next one year.
6. 80% of our Infrastructural needs (Power, roads e.t.c) must be in place in the next one year.

After all these are met by the end of 2012, GEJ and team can go ahead to remove fuel subsidy. I read somewhere that a marketer would bring in ship and will collect subsidy.He return the same ship to the middle of the sea bring the same ship again and collect subsidy and that process will go on for as much as 3time before they will finally offload. The government know these people and the scam, "You dont win a battle by running away", The government should try to stop these marketers and their collaborators within the government and I am sure that at the end of day a very little fraction of what the government says he pays as subsidy will genuinely be paid.

If people actually play pranks with the subsidy, why aren't our journalists investigating and reporting? They seem to be our last hope for investigations because it is a private sector thing. We have lost hope in the police and navy et al.

GEJ is actually working from the back, but he stands to lose his name forever if the subsidy monies are embezzled (and I can bet they will be, and EFCC will make their usual moronic noises and shut up).

It is frightening to imagine Nigeria at 142 per litre. The effects appear so gruesome.

As usual, Nigeria only believes in fire brigade approach. This shows we lack the depth to plan and follow through. This ought to have been a gradual thing, but no, it must be now now, and everything. 100+ % action.

Parnassuss:

@PointB, there is no merit to your argument. If the govt can't have one functioning refinery, or provide 10,000mw then we should go and sit down in our mediocrity. The subsidy removal I pray, should spark a bigger quarrel, even a fight, where I hope, a lot of people will get killed. That's how dire I project the picture will be if the subsidy is removed without any other alternative.

Please always find out before making some claims. Who told you refineries are not working? I see the flare on and sometimes they have to shutdown because the rate of evacuation through the depot (Warri) is much slower than the rate of their production. The militants have vandalised all the pipelines leading to other depots thus making distribution difficult.

However, the I know WRPC sell some products via ships to contractors who prefer exporting it to neighboring countries and claim to be sending it to Lagos. These contractors are still paid subsidy fee, and cost of transporting it to Lagos but they send it to other neighboring countries and sell it at normal price thus stealing cash from NGR in the name of subsidy. When this subsidy is removed, there will not be any need to export to other countries.

I believe this is what GEJ is trying to achieve and I bet you the cabal involved in this crime will oppose the removal and even use people like me and you to fight against it. They will tell you how it will affect you but not how they are stealing from it

Starting from 18th century britain through to late 19th century US, germany and sweden down to late 20th century france, finland, japan and south-korea, virtually all of today's rich countries became rich through the use of trade protection, government subsidies and regulation rather than free trade, free market policies.

Professor Ha-Joon Chang. Professor of development Economics, University of Cambridge.

Removal of subsidies only paves the way for absolute capitalism which will increase the already gaping inequality in the nigerian economy!
If the government says a cabal is getting most of the benefits of the subsidy then they should deal with the cabal directly, that's why Jonathan is the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces!
We cannot afford to throw away the baby with the bath water!

For more suggestions on how to improve the economy check out the thread at https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-764430.0.html

Upon I begged him still remove am sha oga beaf, you wicked o !

Thank you alj harem for the foresight. But you know, some have hardened heart like king pharoah; and this time around, it is the people of nigeria who will met out punishment to the king.