Former presidential aide and Arise Television’s Morning Show anchor, Reuben Abati, has criticised the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount, arguing that the intervention came too late to provide meaningful relief to Nigerians.

Abati questioned the temporary nature of the initiative, asking what would happen when the 30-day period expires.

He also expressed concerns over the government’s continued borrowing despite its decision to remove the petrol subsidy, which was partly justified as a means of increasing government revenue and curbing corruption.

The Federal Government had announced the 30-day petrol discount as part of efforts to ease the burden of rising fuel prices and the cost of living.

Speaking on Friday, Abati said the government needed to explain how the discount would be funded and identify who would bear the cost of the intervention.

He called on the administration to publish details of its price modulation plan, including the funding arrangements and the responsibilities of the parties involved.

Abati said the initiative had raised more questions than answers, arguing that the government could have introduced the measure much earlier.

He said: “The other issue is that it is temporary, okay, for 30 days. After 30 days, what happens?

“And then, you know, the other contradiction is that when the subsidy was removed, the government said part of the reason was to save revenue and curb corruption.

“But the same administration has been borrowing on a large scale since then, and people have been asking: If you remove the subsidy to generate more revenue, how are we now in this kind of situation?”

The broadcaster stressed that the government needed to provide further explanations and disclose who would pay for the intervention.

“There are more questions than answers in what has been proposed. But in terms of intention, I’ve said that the government woke up too late to say that it wants to help the people.

“We could have done this much earlier, and other people would not see it as an opportunity to attack the administration,” he added.