By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
A former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and ex-governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redirect funds accruing from the removal of fuel subsidies to federal development agencies rather than state governments.
Eradiri said the move would guarantee transparency, allow the Presidency to directly monitor spending, and ensure that the much-promised gains of subsidy removal reach ordinary Nigerians.
He noted that the practice of releasing subsidy windfalls to state governors has failed to yield tangible results at the grassroots, with citizens still lamenting the absence of the dividends of democracy.
“When these excess subsidy funds are sent to the governors, the President cannot control or track how the money is spent,” Eradiri stressed. “This lack of accountability fuels public complaints and conflicts across the country.”
The engineer, who is also a Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), insisted that federal development agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were created to complement state governments in delivering development and therefore deserve direct funding.
“These agencies were set up to carry out some of the duties of the governors,” he said. “If they are empowered with subsidy funds, they can be supervised by the President to ensure projects reach the grassroots.”
Eradiri, however, suggested a compromise if full redirection is not feasible. He recommended that the subsidy funds be split, with half allocated to states and local governments, and the other half disbursed through development agencies.
“This approach will reduce public complaints, increase transparency, and help actualise the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.