“N16tn saved, but Nigerians see nothing”

Spokesperson for the Peter Obi Media Organization and representative of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Zekeri Idris, has criticised both President Bola Tinubu’s administration and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over their positions on fuel subsidy and the management of Nigeria’s refineries.

Speaking during Voice of the People Media (VOP 90.3FM and VOPTV) political debate, “Who Will Fix Nigeria? On Thursday, Mr Idris described the manner in which President Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy as “rascally” and questioned the Federal Government’s claim that it had saved about N16tn from subsidy removal.

Mr Idris argued that despite the reported savings, Nigerians had yet to see infrastructure, healthcare, education or other tangible improvements that, in his view, would correspond with the amount said to have been saved.

“Subsidy removal without cushions or strategic planning brought millions of Nigerians to their knees overnight. You cannot preach patience to a hungry citizen while public expenditure and governance costs remain lavish; Nigeria needs leadership that prioritizes production over consumption and human empathy over economic experiments” he said.

Mr Idris said the subsidy removal had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians while questioning what had happened to the funds the government said it had saved.

“It was rascally the way they said they removed subsidy. The President climbed the podium and said ‘subsidy is gone,’ and since that day, Nigerians have not known peace.”

He further questioned the government’s reported savings, asking whether Nigerians had seen anything representative of the N16tn in the years since the policy was introduced.

“They claim to have saved N16 trillion in subsidies—have you seen anything representative of that N16 trillion in the last three years? The vehement answer is no. In fact, I argue that the savings claim is a lie.”

The claim was made as part of a broader argument by the NDC representative that subsidy policy should be assessed not only by government revenue but by its effect on ordinary Nigerians and the services available to them.

Obi’s camp attacks Atiku over refinery privatisation

Mr Idris also turned his criticism towards African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the former vice president’s previously stated position on the privatisation of Nigeria’s refineries represented a different approach from that being advocated by the NDC.

According to Mr Idris, Atiku had publicly stated that non-functional government-owned refineries could be sold to private individuals, which he criticised during the debate.

“But Atiku was so deliberate about the subsidy question that he said publicly on national TV that he would sell the refineries that were not working to his friends! Nigerians heard that. We cannot deal with that kind of option.”

Mr Idris used the argument to distinguish what he described as Peter Obi’s approach from both the Tinubu administration’s implementation of subsidy removal and Atiku’s position on state-owned assets.

NDC says subsidies should support production, healthcare

While criticising the existing subsidy regime, Mr Idris said the NDC was not opposed to subsidies as an economic instrument.

He said the party’s objection was to corruption and waste in the administration of subsidies, arguing that government intervention should instead be directed towards productive sectors capable of improving Nigerians’ welfare and economic output.

“On our own part, we are determined to end the corruption in subsidy, not destroy the people.”

Mr Idris said subsidies could be justified in sectors such as agriculture and healthcare, rather than being structured in a manner that primarily benefits intermediaries.

He also raised concerns over access to healthcare, saying:

“As we speak today, 60% of Nigerians cannot afford basic care.”

The NDC representative argued that resources previously associated with subsidy spending should be redirected towards production, agriculture, healthcare and other areas capable of improving living conditions.

Mr Idris’ intervention formed part of a wider debate among representatives of the NDC, African Action Congress and African Democratic Congress over what should change before the 2027 general election.

While the NDC representative focused on subsidy management, public accountability and productive investment, other speakers challenged both the ruling party and established opposition groups over the broader structure of Nigeria’s political and economic system.

The debate therefore placed the removal of fuel subsidy, the management of public resources, the future of government-owned refineries and the treatment of ordinary Nigerians at the centre of competing political arguments ahead of 2027.

Background

The Voice of the People Media (VOP 90.3FM and VOPTV) political debate titled “Who Will Fix Nigeria? brought representatives of different political movements together to discuss Nigeria’s economic and political direction.

Mr Idris represented the Peter Obi political movement/NDC during the debate and used his intervention to contrast Obi’s stated approach with the policies and positions associated with President Tinubu and ADC presidential candidate Abubakar Atiku.