Tinubu Only Announced Subsidy Removal, Did Not Personally Scrap It — APC Chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Ajiboye, has argued that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not personally remove the petrol subsidy but merely announced an existing government decision during his inauguration speech.

Ajiboye made the clarification while reacting to ongoing public debates over the fuel subsidy removal and its impact on Nigerians. According to him, the policy decision had already been embedded in government financial plans before Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.

He explained that the president’s statement at the inauguration was a formal confirmation of a long-standing policy position rather than a spontaneous or unilateral action. Ajiboye stressed that successive administrations had acknowledged the unsustainability of fuel subsidies and had prepared the groundwork for their eventual removal.

The APC chieftain noted that blaming Tinubu alone for the policy shift ignores years of discussions, warnings, and failed attempts by previous governments to fully deregulate the downstream petroleum sector.

Ajiboye further stated that the Tinubu administration inherited serious economic challenges and was forced to make tough decisions aimed at stabilising public finances and redirecting funds to critical sectors of the economy.

He urged Nigerians to focus on holding institutions accountable and engaging constructively with policies rather than personalising national economic decisions, adding that long-term reforms were necessary to secure sustainable growth.