Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the federal government’s proposed 30-day petrol discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) retail stations, describing it as an election-driven measure that would provide only temporary relief to Nigerians.
Mr Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, questioned the timing of the intervention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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He accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of offering short-term relief after years of rising petrol prices and worsening living costs.
“Atiku totally rejects this calendar-scheduled, election-laced subsidy package. Nigerians are not fools to be offered a month of discounted fuel after years of punishing prices and then expected to forget the hardship when the discount expires. This is shameless and heartless,” the statement said.
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The former vice president questioned what would happen when the discount expires.
“What happens on Day 31? Nigerians wake up to the same brutal prices, the same punishing transport fares and the same rising cost of food. The government cannot manufacture relief for one month and expect Nigerians to applaud while the hardship remains,” he said.
Mr Atiku also questioned the restriction of the discount to NNPC retail stations, noting that the government had yet to disclose how much motorists would save per litre.
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He asked whether any savings enjoyed by commercial transport operators would translate into lower fares for passengers.
Atiku defends production subsidy proposal
The former vice-president argued that the government’s proposed intervention contradicted its criticism of his plan to subsidise petroleum products refined in Nigeria.
“This volte-face proves that the production-support proposal I have advanced is workable, achievable and not complicated. The Tinubu government and its spin doctors have tried to make it sound impossible, yet they are now reaching for a temporary subsidy-style intervention because the pain has become impossible to ignore,” he said.
Mr Atiku reiterated his proposal for capped and budgeted production support for locally refined petroleum products, with safeguards to ensure that consumers benefit from lower prices.
“Nigerians need lasting relief, not a countdown to the return of hardship. Tinubu’s government cannot spend years telling Nigerians to endure, then offer 30 days of relief and call it a solution,” he said.
He concluded: “Tinubu made life expensive. I will make life affordable again.”
Government explains discount
Earlier on Thursday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the proposed discount during a briefing in Abuja.
According to Channels Television’s report, Mr Oyedele said the arrangement would prioritise public transport operators.
He rejected suggestions that the intervention amounted to restoring the petrol subsidy, saying the government intended to sell petrol at cost.
The minister did not specify the discount per litre or the pump price motorists would pay under the arrangement.
Background
Mr Atiku has proposed supporting petroleum products refined in Nigeria as an alternative to the previous fuel subsidy arrangement.
His proposal is intended to encourage domestic refining and reduce petrol prices, but the proposed subsidy rate, funding requirements and mechanism for passing savings to consumers have yet to be fully explained.
The government’s proposed retail discount differs from Mr Atiku’s production-support plan. The introduction of a temporary price reduction does not establish whether his proposed subsidy would be financially sustainable.
President Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, after which pump prices rose sharply, increasing transport costs and adding to inflationary pressures.
The latest exchange comes as the ADC and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) debate their competing approaches to petrol pricing ahead of the 2027 elections.
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