HARRISON EDEH
AS fuel subsidy debate continues,the vice presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, said the party would reintroduce fuel subsidy in a different form if it wins the January 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso made the party’s position known in an interview with Arise TV, as he knocked President Bola Tinubu over decision to remove subsidy on his first day in office.
He said the harsh decision has plunged Nigerians into deeper economic distress.
The former governor of Kano State said there were several ways the subsidy could be reintroduced without returning to the previous system.
He added that the NDC would focus on building more refineries and implementing measures that would significantly reduce the price of fuel across the country.
Advocate Times reports that subsidy debate has been ongoing in a build up to 2027 elections as both the All Democratic Congress (ADC), presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Omoyele Sowore of African Action Congress (AAC) have both promised subsidy return.
Both candidates have also called out the President’s approach to subsidy removal insisting that it has made Nigerians poorer with high transport and energy costs creating economic problems for the people.
This is despite concerns by some economic watchers that the subsidy return could cost Nigeria about N20 trillion which could baloon the government current debt profile.
Latest survey confirms Nigerians want Subsidy return -Atiku
AdvocateTimes reports that the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said 67.4 per cent of Nigerians surveyed by SBM Intelligence want petrol subsidy restored, citing the finding as evidence of widespread demand for relief from soaring fuel and transport costs.
The survey, according to Atiku, captures the pressure facing households, workers and businesses as petrol prices continue to drive up the cost of everyday life.
A statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Tuesday, Atiku said petrol was the second-most cited national problem and the Tinubu administration’s worst-rated policy issue, scoring 1.69 out of four.
“This survey is no longer merely about economic policy. It has become a democratic question. When an overwhelming majority of Nigerians declare that a government policy is destroying their lives, responsible leadership must listen,” Atiku said.
He said petrol was a bigger concern in rural areas, where 32.4 per cent of respondents identified it as their primary problem, against 11.7 per cent in urban areas. It also ranked highest in the South-West, at 30.5 per cent, and South-South, at 29.1 per cent.
Atiku blamed the hardship on the removal of subsidy, saying the policy had pushed up transport and food costs and weakened household and business purchasing power.
“President Tinubu removed subsidy with a slogan, not a strategy. He had no credible plan for domestic refining, mass transportation, wage protection or the millions of small businesses that depend on affordable energy,” he said.
He said his alternative would not restore the old subsidy regime but introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians.
“If elected, from May 29, 2027, I will introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians,” Atiku said.
He added that imports would not qualify and the scheme would have a fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits, with the aim of reducing fuel prices, strengthening domestic refining and restoring purchasing power.
