Businessman and political commentator Isaac Fayose has criticised Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo over his comparison of fuel prices in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
Okpebholo recently said in a viral video that he visited London and checked the price of petrol in the UK, which he said was about ₦3,000 per litre after conversion to naira.
According to the governor, the comparison showed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was making progress in stabilising Nigeria’s economy.
“I was in London last week, and I told my friend, let’s go and buy fuel just to know the cost of fuel in England compared to Nigeria. After conversion, it was over ₦3,000 per litre of fuel. We are doing very well here. The president is stabilising the economy,” Okpebholo said.
However, reacting in a video, Fayose argued that comparing fuel prices without considering workers’ incomes in both countries gave an incomplete picture.
He noted that Nigeria’s minimum wage is ₦70,000, while workers in the UK earn considerably more.
According to Fayose, a Nigerian worker earning the minimum wage can afford only about 49 litres of fuel per month.
He further claimed that the UK minimum wage of between £13 and £15 per hour could amount to about £2,000 monthly, which he estimated at roughly ₦4 million.
Fayose also argued that UK residents benefit from services such as public healthcare, better roads and more stable electricity.
“These are the kind of people that you allowed to forcefully take over the affairs of your life,” he said.
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