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Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has stated that fuel subsidy has no place in Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Okonkwo criticised the timing of the subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, calling it ill-conceived. He noted that more than 35 million Nigerians continue to grapple with hunger and poverty, struggling to access adequate food.
He argued that the current minimum wage falls far short of basic needs. A civil servant owning a vehicle with a 100-litre tank would need about ₦130,000 to fill it at roughly ₦1,300 per litre—nearly twice the ₦70,000 minimum wage—leaving nothing for rent, food or medical care.
Okonkwo dismissed claims of falling inflation, insisting that rising prices of goods, services and transport show otherwise. “The definition of inflation is when the prices of goods are rising. So, if the prices of goods are rising and you are telling us the inflation figure is going down, that is voodoo economics,” he said.
He described the situation as “polished poverty,” arguing that official statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics mask the hardship inflicted on citizens. “No responsible or compassionate leader will sit down and accept such a level of induced poverty by this regime,” he added.
Okonkwo recalled warning, the day after the subsidy was removed, that the move was unsustainable. He maintained that two key conditions should have been met first: saturating the market with adequate fuel supply and eliminating monopoly.
“There ought not to be subsidy in the first place in Nigeria because oil is our product. This is what Atiku is saying,” he concluded.
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