I Would Have Removed the Fuel Subsidy in an Organized Manner, But I Did Not Criticize Tinubu – Peter Obi

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, explained how he would have eliminated the petroleum subsidy if he had been president.

Obi said he would have removed the fuel subsidy in a planned, organized manner rather than on the day of his inauguration.

In 2023, President Bola Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy during his own inauguration as Nigeria’s president.

Obi added that he would have first consulted stakeholders in the petroleum sector before announcing the subsidy removal.

Speaking to Rufai Oseni, Obi dismissed claims that he had criticized Tinubu for the way the subsidy was removed.

He stated: “I didn’t criticize Tinubu for removing the subsidy. I said I would have removed it, but in an organized manner. I wouldn’t have announced it at my inauguration.”

“I would have first sat down with operators in the industry because we know there is a lot of criminality around the subsidy.”

“I would remove it to determine the exact amount being spent on the subsidy and also address the issue of exchange‑rate deregulation. But in doing these things, the most important thing is to fight corruption head‑on.”

“Since the subsidy was removed, what has been the impact on the average Nigerian? We have even borrowed more money than we used to when the subsidy was still in place.”