Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has reaffirmed his support for the removal of fuel subsidy while insisting that the policy must deliver tangible benefits to ordinary Nigerians rather than deepen their hardship through mismanagement of the proceeds.
Speaking on Monday at a conference organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Obi rejected calls to reverse the subsidy removal, arguing that poor utilisation of the savings is not a valid reason to restore the old regime.
“I subscribe and maintain that you need to remove subsidy. Mismanagement of the proceeds shouldn’t be the reason for not removing it,” Obi stated. “What we should have done is that when we removed the subsidy, we would have given the people alternative usage for the subsidy. What we have today is that that removal and the attendant resources being recovered is also being mismanaged and stolen. For example, we have received, according to them, N16 trillion.”
Obi emphasised that his own leadership blueprint for Nigeria had always provided for subsidy removal “in an organised manner,” with recovered funds transparently invested for the benefit of the masses. He criticised the current administration for failing to channel the savings into critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation.
Highlighting the state of the health sector, he noted that primary healthcare remains very poor and that Nigeria continues to face high maternal and child health challenges compared to countries such as India. He suggested that even five per cent of the claimed N16 trillion savings could have been used to establish primary healthcare centres across the country or address other pressing needs, including building the sovereign wealth fund.
Obi stressed that Nigerians should not be called upon to make sacrifices while those in government continue to mismanage public resources. “People in government have asked Nigerians to fast. Okay. They cannot be feasting when Nigerians are fasting,” he said.
The former governor’s remarks come amid renewed public debate over the impact of petrol subsidy removal since 2023 and differing positions among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections. Obi maintained that the core problem is not the decision to remove the subsidy but the failure to ensure that the resulting resources improve the lives of citizens.
He reiterated that governance must be demand-driven and transparent, with clear, verifiable plans that allow Nigerians to see the benefits of the sacrifices they are asked to make.