Rabiu Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has blamed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy for what he described as Nigeria’s “total mess” economically.
Kwankwaso made the criticism during an interview with ARISE News, arguing that the subsidy was removed immediately after Tinubu assumed office without adequate measures to cushion its impact on Nigerians.
According to him, the consequences of the policy were foreseeable but were not sufficiently addressed before the subsidy regime was scrapped.
“Bola Tinubu decided to remove the subsidy and the consequences we thought would happen certainly happened,” Kwankwaso said.
“He removed it immediately without looking at all the possible issues. That is how we found ourselves in this total mess economically.”
Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy regime during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, triggering a major shift in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum pricing.
Kwankwaso said Nigerians should have access to petrol at lower prices and indicated that an NDC administration would seek to reduce the cost of fuel.
His comments come as the subsidy debate remains a major point of disagreement among political actors ahead of the 2027 elections. Tinubu has ruled out restoring the previous subsidy regime, while Kwankwaso has said an NDC government would reintroduce fuel support in a different form.
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