Atiku rejects FG’s 30-day fuel discount, says it offers no lasting relief

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed 30-day fuel discount at NNPC stations, saying the temporary intervention will not provide lasting relief from high fuel, transport and food costs.

The criticism was contained in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, on Thursday.

It followed the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day margin discount on petrol dispensed by NNPC Limited, with priority for public transporters, as part of measures to cushion Nigerians from elevated fuel prices.

Atiku questions 30-day fuel relief

Atiku said the proposed discount was a temporary measure that could not address the wider hardship Nigerians have faced since the removal of petrol subsidy. He questioned what would happen after the 30-day period, arguing that Nigerians would return to the same fuel prices, transport fares and food costs once the intervention ends.

• “What happens on Day 31? Nigerians wake up to the same brutal prices, the same punishing transport fares and the same rising cost of food. The government cannot manufacture relief for one month and expect Nigerians to applaud while the hardship remains,” Atiku said.
• “Nigerians need lasting relief, not a countdown to the return of hardship. Tinubu’s government cannot spend years telling Nigerians to endure, then offer 30 days of relief and call it a solution,” he added.

Atiku also questioned the scope of the intervention, noting that the discount would be limited to NNPC stations.

He said the government had yet to state how much motorists would save per litre or guarantee that any savings enjoyed by transport operators would be passed on to passengers through lower fares.

Atiku’s criticism centres on the duration and reach of the intervention, which the government has presented as a temporary measure to ease the immediate pressure of higher fuel and transportation costs.

Atiku renews production subsidy proposal

The former Vice President described the intervention as a political response to the hardship Nigerians have experienced, arguing that the government had spent years asking citizens to endure higher fuel and living costs before introducing temporary relief. He also linked the latest intervention to his earlier proposal for capped and budgeted production support tied to petrol refined in Nigeria.

According to Atiku, the government’s decision to introduce a temporary subsidy-style intervention shows that his proposal for production support is workable, despite the Federal Government’s earlier objections.

• “This volte-face proves that the production-support proposal I have advanced is workable, achievable and not complicated,” he said.

Atiku said his proposal would be tied to fuel refined in Nigeria and include safeguards to ensure that the benefit reaches consumers while supporting domestic refining.

He maintained that Nigerians need a longer-term mechanism for reducing fuel-related costs rather than temporary relief that expires after one month.

Atiku has previously argued that government support should focus on domestic refining rather than subsidising imported petrol, while the Federal Government has raised concerns about the fiscal implications of such interventions.

FG outlines wider fuel relief measures

The Federal Government announced the 30-day fuel discount as part of a wider package of measures aimed at cushioning Nigerians from elevated petrol prices. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the government would offer a discount on petrol dispensed by NNPC Limited for the next 30 days, with priority for public transporters nationwide.

• The government has described the measure as a margin discount rather than a return to the petrol subsidy regime, with Oyedele saying petrol would be sold at cost during the intervention.
• Oyedele also outlined forward sales of crude to domestic refineries and a proposed N1,350 per litre ceiling on the ex-gantry or landing cost of petrol.
• Other measures include the removal of illegal levies that add to transport and logistics costs, increased support for vulnerable households and faster deployment of CNG vehicles.
• The minister said existing interventions had not fully eased the pressure households and businesses were facing from higher fuel, transport and logistics costs.

The government has also rejected a return to blanket fuel subsidy, with Oyedele arguing that production support tied to local refining could ultimately transfer crude-price, freight and exchange-rate volatility to the government’s balance sheet and create a significant fiscal burden.

Oyedele said returning petrol to its pre-reform price could cost more than N20 trillion annually, while a N500 per litre intervention could cost more than N16 trillion a year. He also said N15.8 trillion in subsidy savings was released between June 2023 and December 2025, with N10.4 trillion going to state and local governments.