The member representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon Dennis Nnamdi Agbo, has described Enugu State as a practical model for how fiscal gains from fuel subsidy removal could translate into tangible development.
Agbo stated this in his public lecture titled “Three Years of Post-Subsidy Removal: Evaluating the Socio-economic Effects of Nigeria’s Deregulated Downstream Sector”, delivered at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
According to the lawmaker, “the responsibility of government goes beyond ending an unsustainable subsidy regime to ensuring that resources freed up by the reform translate into infrastructure, affordable transportation, education, healthcare and productive opportunities for citizens.”
He noted that Enugu State’s Federation Account receipts increased significantly from N117.50 billion in 2023 to N255.67 billion in 2024 and N259.59 billion in 2025, while the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) rose from N37.49 billion to N180.50 billion and N407.76 billion over the same period.
These gains, according to him, “reflect several factors, including subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms, other federal transfers and the state’s revenue initiatives. They cannot all be classified as subsidy savings. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the increased resources available and the corresponding responsibility to deliver results.”
The federal lawmaker pointed out that the state’s development priorities remained evident in its budgetary provisions, where capital expenditure accounted for 79.44% in 2024, 86.29% in 2025 and 80.13% in 2026.
He cited the deployment of 100 CNG mass-transit buses and five modern transport terminals, including the Nsukka terminal, as a practical response to transportation challenges occasioned by subsidy removal.
“Such investments can connect communities, support businesses and ease the burden of movement when services are reliable and affordable,” he stressed.
Hon Agbo further stressed that “the sustainability of subsidy reform depends on what government delivers in return for citizens’ sacrifice”, adding that supporting subsidy removal must go hand in hand with demanding accountability.
“Every tier of government must demonstrate how increased revenues improve daily life, particularly for poor and vulnerable Nigerians. Enugu State provides a model worth examining and strengthening,” he said.
He concluded by declaring, “Subsidy is gone, and gone for good. Let its departure be matched by enduring improvements in people’s lives.”