Ex-Bayelsa LP Candidate Urges Tinubu to Bypass Governors, Channel Subsidy Savings to Development Agencies
By NaijaEnquirer Staff
Former Bayelsa Labour Party governorship candidate, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redirect fuel subsidy savings away from state governors and channel them directly to regional development agencies across Nigeria.
Speaking in Port Harcourt on the sidelines of an Alternative Conflict Resolution programme organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Eradiri argued that governors have failed to translate subsidy disbursements into visible benefits for citizens, while development agencies are better positioned to deliver grassroots impact in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
‘Redirect subsidy windfall to agencies’
Eradiri said channeling subsidy funds to agencies would ensure direct presidential oversight and accountability.
“I call on President Tinubu as part of actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda to urgently redirect the excess money from the subsidy removal to the development agencies covering all the geopolitical zones of the country,”he said.
Better oversight and accountability
He noted that disbursing funds to governors leaves the Presidency powerless in monitoring their use, often leading to waste and public dissatisfaction.
“The Presidency can supervise agencies to ensure that subsidy gains get to the masses. But when the excess subsidy is sent to governors, the President has no control over how it is spent, and that is why many conflicts and complaints persist,”Eradiri explained.
Proposal for split arrangement
The former candidate, who is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), suggested a compromise if full diversion is not possible.
“If the President cannot redirect all the money, he can divide it into two—50 per cent to governors and local government chairmen, and the rest to development agencies. These agencies can then be supervised by the President to ensure the money gets to the grassroots,”he advised.
Direct intervention key to grassroots impact
Eradiri maintained that bypassing governors and empowering development agencies remains the surest way for subsidy removal gains to translate into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“If the Federal Government does this, there will be fewer complaints, and people will truly feel the dividends of democracy,”he concluded.
