Petrol discount: Tinubu walking back to opaque subsidy regime – Atiku’s aide

Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of returning to an opaque petrol subsidy regime through its 30-day petrol discount initiative.

Ibe argued that the initiative would not address Nigeria’s nationwide petrol affordability crisis because it was limited in duration and restricted to a small section of the country’s filling stations.

DAILY POST reports that the Tinubu administration announced a 30-day petrol discount at NNPC filling stations amid concerns over rising fuel prices and the cost of living.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Ibe said Nigerians needed cheaper petrol across the country rather than a temporary discount available only at selected outlets.

“You cannot solve a nationwide affordability crisis with a narrowly targeted discount. Nigerians need cheaper petrol everywhere, not cheaper petrol somewhere, and certainly not for just 30 days,” Ibe wrote.

He added, “From every indication, Tinubu is walking back to the opaque subsidy regime that he claimed was gone for good.”

The Atiku aide accused the Tinubu administration of prioritising arguments over whether the intervention should be described as a subsidy or a margin discount rather than addressing the hardship caused by high petrol prices.

Ibe, however, welcomed any genuine reduction in petrol prices, insisting that relief must be fair, accessible and sustainable.

To support his argument, he cited Nigeria’s estimated 22,681 filling stations, noting that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) operated more than 900 outlets, representing roughly four per cent of the nationwide retail network.

He also cited an estimated 17 per cent retail market share for NNPC in 2024, arguing that the company’s network was insufficient to deliver meaningful relief to Nigerians nationwide.

Ibe further referenced an NNPC report for July 2026, which he said showed petrol availability across its retail network at 52 per cent.

He questioned how the government intended to ensure nationwide access to the discount, particularly for Nigerians living in communities without NNPC filling stations.

According to him, residents in such areas could be forced to travel long distances to access the discount, incurring additional expenses despite the economic hardship they were facing.

The media aide warned that the selective arrangement could create inequalities similar to those associated with the electricity Band A, B and C classification, where consumers experience different levels of service and costs depending on their locations.

He maintained that the government’s intervention amounted to an acknowledgement that market forces alone could not shield Nigerians from unbearable petrol prices.

Ibe also advocated Atiku’s proposed production-based subsidy, arguing that reducing costs at the point of production would allow the benefits to spread through the wider distribution network.

He insisted that Nigerians deserved a more comprehensive and sustainable solution than a 30-day petrol discount.