Nigeria saves $20bn from subsidy removal – Finance Minister Edun

Nigeria saves $20bn from subsidy removal – Finance Minister Edun

Wale Edun, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, has declared that the country has saved $20 billion by eliminating the petrol subsidy and adopting market-based foreign exchange pricing.

He made this disclosure at an event in Abuja marking the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Edun stated, “When there was a subsidy on the PMS and on foreign exchange, they collectively cost five percent of the GDP.

“Assuming GDP was $400 billion on average, five percent of that is $20 billion—funds that could now go into infrastructure, health, social services, and education.”

He explained that the savings were being redirected into developmental projects. He said, “The real change is that no one can wake up and target cheap funding or forex from the central bank to enrich themselves without adding value. “Similarly, profiteering from the inefficient petrol subsidy regime is no longer possible.”

President Bola Tinubu officially ended the petrol subsidy regime on May 29, 2023.