By Mary Onyia 

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has disagreed with the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, over the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy itself was not the problem but the lack of adequate planning and proper management of the savings.

Speaking on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Obi said subsidy removal was necessary but faulted the Tinubu administration for failing to provide adequate alternatives for Nigerians or ensure that the funds saved were properly channelled into productive sectors. “I subscribe, and I maintain that we need to remove the subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds should not be the reason for not removing it,” he said.

Obi’s position contrasts with Atiku’s pledge to restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027. While Atiku has argued that the policy has imposed severe hardship on Nigerians, Obi maintained that the focus should instead be on how the government manages the resources freed by subsidy removal and protects citizens from its immediate consequences.

The former Anambra State governor accused the government of failing to exercise sufficient due diligence and curb leakages and corruption in the handling of the savings. “What we should have done is that when we removed it, we should have given the people alternative usage for the subsidy,” Obi said, adding that he had advocated an organised approach to subsidy removal in his 2023 manifesto. “Whatever we recover would be invested appropriately,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy shortly after assuming office in May 2023, triggering a sharp rise in petrol prices and worsening concerns over the cost of living. While the Federal Government has defended the policy as necessary to ease pressure on public finances, Obi’s comments have shifted the 2027 debate from whether subsidy should be removed to whether the government has properly managed the resources saved and protected Nigerians from the policy’s consequences.