Removal of Subsidy: a Question of Trust

Abstract

The paper demonstrates that the fierce opposition to the economic policy of removal of oil subsidy is largely explicable in terms of the Nigerian masses’ loss of trust in the government’s competence and supposed goodwill. This general distrust in government, it is analytically argued, is a product of the masses’ accumulatedunpleasant experience of incessant battering in the hands of past governments. It is suggested that for the current government to restore the lost trust and consequently win back the cooperation of the Nigerian people, there is need for it to fulfill most, if not all, of its promises to the masses, especially those associated with the newly implemented increment in the price of petrol.This impliesdeviating from the ill-standard (of promise and fail) set by the preceding administrations. Such move must be prefaced by the government’s showing real commitment to the plights of its subjects by cutting down on the profligate lifestyle of its officials to reflect genuineness of purpose and strong will for positive change.

Keywords: oil subsidy, trust, government, masses, Nigeria.