SURE Programme Not Abandoned -Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he did not at any time say the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme has been abandoned, as being speculated in the media.
Jonathan has come under heavy criticisms in the past few days from commentators over what many interpreted to be abandonment of the programme designed to be a palliative for the recent increase in the price of petrol and the attendant increase in price of goods and services.
This followed a statement by the President at the 58th National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on 20 February 2012 in which he said the programme is no longer realistic.
The President had at that occasion directed the withdrawal of pamphlets which contain various programmes to be implemented under SURE which were being distributed to party members.
But in a press release signed on his behalf by Reuben Abati, his spokesperson on Monday, the President accused the opposition of deliberately misrepresenting what he said on the issue of reviewing the SURE programme at the PDP meeting.
“What he said in his opening remarks at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week, was that the full implementation of government’s palliatives to cushion the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal as contained in the original SURE programme, was no longer feasible and will be reviewed in view of the partial rather than full removal of the subsidy on petrol,” Abati said in the statement.


He added that since the implementation of SURE programme was based on full deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry which government was unable to achieve, it is natural that there will be a review of the programmes.
“This new reality informed the President’s directive that the original SURE programme documents already circulated to the public, be withdrawn in order not to give the public false expectations.
“The SURE programme has not been cancelled. What President Goodluck Jonathan said at the 58th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is as follows: ‘We developed this with the expectation that we were going to completely deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry, (after) the 100 per cent removal of subsidy.
“‘We couldn’t achieve that though there was an increase in the price. I don’t want this to be distributed; it will give a wrong impression.’
“These comments only show that President Jonathan is being transparent with the public rather than offer them unrealistic expectations. Sincerity of purpose is a virtue and should be encouraged.
“For those who are still in doubt, let it be stressed that the Dr. Christopher Kolade Committee charged with implementing the SURE programme, is still at work and has not been disbanded while a new SURE document containing the reviewed palliatives will soon be released to the public.
“We appeal to labour unions and other opinion-moulders in the society to desist from misinforming the public about government’s well-meaning programmes geared towards addressing the critical needs of the citizens,” Abati said.