Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has renewed his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s fuel subsidy policy.
Atiku spoke after the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) called for government intervention to reduce petrol prices.
IPMAN President, Abubakar Maigandi, urged Tinubu to broker an agreement with the Dangote Refinery to bring down pump prices.
Petrol prices have risen to between N1,310 and N1,350 per litre in some parts of the country.
Atiku said IPMAN’s position was significant because its members deal directly with the distribution and sale of petroleum products.
He argued that marketers understand the impact of high fuel prices on businesses and households.
According to Atiku, government support for domestic refining should not be equated with the old subsidy regime.
He said a transparent, production-linked intervention could strengthen local refining while reducing pressure on consumers.
Atiku has also proposed restoring fuel subsidies if elected president.
However, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu defended the removal of the subsidy.
Speaking at the 7th Freedom Online Newspaper Lecture in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu described calls for subsidy reversal as populist politics.
He said the subsidy had become a major drain on government finances.
Sanwo-Olu acknowledged that its removal had caused hardship but maintained that the reform was beginning to produce economic gains.
He also said monthly allocations to states and local governments had more than doubled since the subsidy was removed.
Meanwhile, BudgIT said increased government revenue had not translated into better living conditions for Nigerians.
The civic organisation said state governments received N15.5 trillion in revenue in 2025, compared with N4.8 trillion in 2022.
BudgIT argued that higher revenues would only matter if they improved public services and household incomes.
With petrol, food and transport costs still rising, the subsidy debate is increasingly shifting towards how government can reduce prices without returning to the problems of the old subsidy system.
