President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, approved the establishment of the Infrastructure Support Fund for the 36 states of the Federation, as part of measures to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.
The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Media Strategy, Dele Alake, disclosed in a statement on Thursday, that the approval followed the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee in Abuja.
According to the statement, the new Infrastructure Fund will enable the states to intervene and invest in the critical areas of transportation, including farm-to-market road improvements; agriculture, surrounding livestock and ranching solutions; health, with a focus on basic healthcare; education, especially basic education; power and water resources, that will improve economic competitiveness, create jobs and deliver economic prosperity for Nigerians.
The statement partly read: “Out of the June 2023 distributable revenue of N1.9 trillion, only N907 billion will be distributed among the three tiers of government, while N790 billion will be saved, and the rest will be used for statutory deductions.
“These savings will complement the efforts of the Infrastructure Support Fund (ISF) and other existing and planned fiscal measures, all aimed at ensuring that the subsidy removal translates into tangible improvements in the lives and living standards of Nigerians.”
It added, “The Committee commends President Tinubu for the bold decision to remove the petrol subsidy, and even more importantly, for providing necessary support to the States to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on Nigerians.”
Mr Alake however noted that the Committee has resolved to save a portion of the monthly distributable proceeds, to minimize the impact of the increased revenues occasioned by the subsidy removal and exchange rate unification on money supply, as well as inflation and the exchange rate.
