Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake has said President Bola Tinubu took a major political risk by removing Nigeria’s fuel subsidy to secure the country’s long-term economic recovery, even though the decision caused immediate hardship and public backlash.
Alake spoke on Wednesday during an interactive session with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Press Corps in Abuja.
He noted that previous administrations recognised the need to scrap the subsidy but repeatedly postponed the move out of fear of electoral consequences and public reaction.
Recently named Director of Strategic Communications for Tinubu’s 2027 APC presidential campaign, Alake said the President chose to “take the bullets” on behalf of Nigerians.
He argued there is never a perfect time for tough economic decisions.“There is no shortcut to genuine reforms,” Alake said.
“Previous governments lacked the courage to stop digging. They were afraid of elections… But somebody came and decided to swallow the bitter pill, to take the bullets on behalf of Nigerians.”
He added that Tinubu, as a politician sensitive to elections, still prioritised national interest over his own political career because “the nation had to be reset.”
Alake maintained that the old subsidy regime mainly enriched oil cartels and wealthy Nigerians rather than ordinary citizens. Cartels, he claimed, bought cheap fuel, smuggled it across borders for huge profits, and left the government with fewer resources for infrastructure and productive investment.
He recalled that before the removal, many states struggled to pay salaries and the federal government borrowed to meet wage obligations.
The minister stressed that economic reforms require a period of adjustment and cannot deliver instant results.
Despite the pain, he insisted the Tinubu administration’s policies are already producing positive outcomes and that Nigeria needs consistency rather than another policy reversal.
President Tinubu announced the end of the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, during his inauguration.
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