President Bola Tinubu yesterday in France disclosed that those who wrote his inaugural address on May 29 did not include petrol subsidy removal in it.

He spoke while meeting with Nigerians residing in France on the sidelines of the two-day financing climate pact summit which ended in Paris yesterday.

“He said; “And then, Wale Edun and co, we started debating, putting my speech together without the question on subsidy. I got to the podium, I was possessed with courage and I said subsidy is gone.”

He further discussed the decision to end the fuel subsidy, saying, “They thought it was a joke of the century until I called the NNPC. We are tired of feedings smugglers, making a few people rich, and subsidizing the next-door neighbor.

“I met with the president of Benin Republic, everybody is equal now, we are friends. We are conjoined twins joined by the hips, how we will separate each other is with this fuel subsidy. Let us see whether we will survive or not, but we are going to survive you.”

“Making just a few smugglers rich. Some countries were bleaching us. Courage was missing.