Nigerian singer Cynthia Morgan, now known as Madrina, has made an emotional appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to reconsider the fuel subsidy removal as economic hardship tightens its grip on the nation.
Speaking in a video shared on TikTok, Madrina admitted that she initially supported Tinubu’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy but now believes the country was unprepared for such a drastic policy shift. She highlighted the skyrocketing cost of living, rising inflation, and increasing crime rates as direct consequences of the subsidy removal.
“I won’t lie, this hardship is unbearable! I supported Tinubu on the subsidy removal because spending over $8 billion on it didn’t make sense. But right now, Nigeria does not have the structure to survive without it. We are suffering, and the government needs to step in urgently,” she said.
Backing her stance with statistics, Madrina noted that Nigeria’s GDP per capita is currently around $860, while the Naira’s depreciation against the dollar continues to fuel inflation. She stressed that fuel prices control 90% of other market commodities, making subsidy removal without alternative economic structures devastating for Nigerians.
She called for a “begging challenge” instead of protests, urging citizens to appeal to the government to reconsider at least a 50% reinstatement of the subsidy.
“We can’t afford to remove it 100%. People are hungry. The crime rate is rising. We need help. Let’s beg the government to roll it back a little,” she pleaded.
Madrina’s plea has ignited fresh debates on whether Nigeria can sustain a full subsidy removal without worsening the already dire economic situation.
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