Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said an administration led by the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would reintroduce fuel subsidy, although through a different approach.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, made the disclosure during an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday, September 22, while discussing the petrol subsidy policy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the positions of presidential contenders ahead of the 2027 elections.
Asked whether the NDC could face difficulties campaigning in the North-West because of support for the return of fuel subsidy, Kwankwaso said the party had its own approach to making petrol affordable.
“No, no, no, look. We are bringing subsidy in our own way.”
Explaining how the proposed approach would work, Kwankwaso pointed to increased domestic refining as one possible way of reducing the cost of petrol.
He said the government could invest in refineries and expand domestic production so that Nigerians could buy fuel at what he described as a reasonable price.
“Of course, there are many ways. One, I can tell you: now we have a refinery built by a businessman, and I’m sure more refineries would be built.
“Now, if individuals in this country could build refineries, I see no reason why government, under certain circumstances, will not build a refinery or refineries to the extent that we achieve the minimum requirement.
“What is the minimum requirement? The minimum requirement is for the people across the country to go to the filling stations and buy fuel at a reasonable price.
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“We, in the NDC, will do whatever it takes, really, to put the price of oil down,” he said.
Kwankwaso also criticised the manner in which the Tinubu administration implemented the subsidy removal, arguing that the government acted too quickly without adequately considering its possible consequences.
He said the three major presidential candidates in the 2023 election, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had campaigned on ending the subsidy regime.
He said, “No, that’s what I know. Of course, among the three of them, Bola Tinubu decided to do so and removed the subsidy. And the consequences that we thought would happen, certainly happened.
“And not only he decided to remove the subsidy, what he did was to remove it immediately—in fact, day one—without looking at all those possible issues that were associated with that. And that’s how we find ourselves in this total mess, economically.”
Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy during his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, declaring, “subsidy is gone.”
The announcement was followed by a sharp increase in petrol prices, which rose from below N200 per litre to more than N500 in several parts of the country. Higher fuel costs subsequently affected transportation and other expenses.
In a national broadcast in July 2023, Tinubu acknowledged that the policy had contributed to higher costs of fuel, food and other goods. He maintained, however, that the subsidy system had become financially unsustainable and said funds saved from its removal would be redirected to other sectors.Kwankwaso’s position comes amid renewed political debate over fuel pricing and subsidy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At the Nigeria Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in August, presidential candidates and representatives of various political parties also presented differing positions on the issue, with some supporting a return of subsidy and others proposing alternative measures to make petrol more affordable.