World Bank: Nigeria to lose N5tr from petrol subsidy
The World Bank has warned that Nigeria could lose around N5trillion in the year from subsidising petrol.
The World Bank, in its Nigeria Development Update (NDU) released yesterday in Abuja, said N5 trillion is urgently needed to cushion ordinary Nigerians from the crushing effect of double-digit increases in the cost of basic commodities, to invest in Nigeria’s children and youth, and in the infrastructure needed for private businesses small and large to flourish, grow and create jobs.”
According to the report, “when we launched our previous Nigeria Development Update in November 2021, we estimated that Nigeria could stand to lose more than N3 trillion in revenues in 2022 because the proceeds from crude oil sales, instead of going to the federation account, would be used to cover the rising cost of gasoline subsidies that mostly benefit the rich”.
World Bank Country Director for Nigeria Shubham Chaudhuri, however, noted: “Sadly, that projection turned out to be optimistic. With oil prices going up significantly, and with it, the price of imported gasoline, we now estimate that the foregone revenues as a result of gasoline subsidies will be closer to N5trillion in 2022.
