Follow Us on Google
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of attempting to sneak petrol subsidy back into the system through its 30-day fuel discount, describing the measure as a desperate response to the economic hardship triggered by the subsidy removal.
It described the temporary discount announced by the federal government as “tokenism and deceit,” arguing that the Tinubu administration was now trying to reverse, through the backdoor, a policy it introduced without adequate consultation or measures to cushion its impact on Nigerians.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, had said the government would offer a discount on petrol sold by NNPC Limited for the next 30 days, with priority given to public transporters nationwide, insisting that the measure was not a subsidy but a decision to sell the product at cost.
But reacting in a statement on Thursday, NDC’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the explanation could not disguise what he described as the failure of the government’s petrol policy.
“This is nothing but tokenism and a Greek gift from a government that whimsically removed fuel subsidy without proper consideration, consultation, or cushions for Nigerians,” the party said, adding, “Nigerians cannot be deceived.”
The NDC also questioned how the APC plans to address the wider consequences of the subsidy removal, asking what had become of Nigerians who lost their jobs and businesses as a result of the policy.
“What happens to the millions of Nigerians who lost their jobs and whose businesses collapsed as a result of the callous and poorly planned removal of subsidy?”
“What about those who lost their lives in poorly equipped government hospitals that have now become mortuaries?”
Furthermore, the opposition party questioned the practicality of limiting the discounted petrol to designated NNPC retail outlets, warning that the arrangement could create fresh congestion and safety concerns at filling stations.
“Even the bogus promise to dispense discounted fuel at designated NNPC retail outlets is not pragmatic. How many such outlets exist in Nigeria to serve over 200 million Nigerians?” the party asked.
“Is this not the recipe for another stampede that could have many more Nigerians trampled to death at the filling stations?”
The NDC said the latest development showed that the economy was “in a tailspin and at a tipping point,” accusing the APC government of lacking the capacity to rescue the country from the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.
“The attempt to reintroduce petrol subsidy through the backdoor is not only mischievous but a sign of a government in free fall, ready to clutch at anything to survive,” it stated.
The party also accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of desperation ahead of the 2027 elections, saying Nigerians should reject what it described as temporary measures and instead vote for its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
However, the party assured that “hope is on the way” as Obi, under the party, would “put Nigeria back on the right track.”
It urged Nigerians to vote for Obi and other NDC candidates in the January 16, 2027 election, to remove what it described as “the most clueless and rudderless government in the history of Nigeria.”
