Thousands of protesters under the aegis of Labour and Civil Society Organisations (LASCO) yesterday took their demonstration against fuel subsidy removal to the Kwara State Government House, Ilorin.
The protesters, which included women, youth and students, were led by LASCO coordinator in the state, Professor Poju Akinyanju, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders, Comrades Umar Akanbi and Israel Adebisi.
Prof. Akinyanju presented a letter to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed for onward transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Addressing the protesters who conducted themselves peacefully, Governor Ahmed associated himself with the stand of the common man on the vexed issue of fuel subsidy removal.
He reasoned that the subsidy withdrawal should have been on the production and not on consumption.
The governor said, “I salute your courage. Why I’m saluting your courage is because we have taken time to look at the issue critically in Nigeria today. I agree with you totally with what you have said. Maybe our differences come in the mode in which the subsidy should have been removed.
“The issue of subsidy is an issue which should have been dealt with a long time ago by past administrations, but they refused to? let Nigerians know that we are not supposed to subsidise consumption but we are to subsidise production.”