Nigeria has used the collapse in oil prices to usher in a policy the state has been trying to implement for more than two decades: scrap fuel subsidies.
The decision will save President Muhammadu Buhari’s government at least $2 billion a year, at a time when Africa’s biggest crude producer needs funds to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s also a politically fraught move -- a rebound in oil prices could rouse the opposition and test the regime’s resilience. Previous attempts to wean Nigerians off cheap gasoline have led to major anti-government protests.
