By Ify Okoli
Nigeria’s opposition NDC vice-presidential
candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s removal of
petrol subsidy, saying the policy contributed to the country’s economic
difficulties.
Speaking on Arise
Television on Tuesday, September 22, Kwankwaso said the decision was
implemented too quickly, without sufficient measures to deal with its likely
effects on Nigerians.
Tinubu announced the end
of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, declaring that
“subsidy is gone”. Petrol prices subsequently rose sharply, increasing
transport and other household costs.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano
State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, argued that the major
contenders in that election had supported subsidy removal, but said Tinubu
chose to implement it immediately after taking office.
According
to Kwankwaso, the problem was not simply the decision to remove the subsidy but
the manner and timing of its implementation. He said the resulting consequences
were foreseeable and had contributed to what he called an economic “total
mess”.
The NDC
candidate also said Nigerians deserved access to petrol at a reasonable price.
He indicated that an NDC administration would reintroduce subsidy in a
different form, rather than simply restore the previous arrangement.
Kwankwaso
pointed to increased domestic refining as one possible route, arguing that
government could invest in refineries alongside private investors. He said the
NDC would take measures aimed at reducing petrol prices nationwide.
The comments add fuel pricing to the growing economic policy
debate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, with opposition figures
proposing different approaches to making petrol more affordable after the 2023
subsidy removal.
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