Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Federal Government of continuing to pay fuel subsidies despite its repeated claims that the subsidy regime had been abolished.
Sowore made the allegation while criticising the Federal Government’s economic policies, arguing that Nigerians have been led to believe that fuel subsidies were removed while government spending on petroleum products continues in other forms.
The AAC candidate questioned the transparency surrounding the government’s management of the downstream petroleum sector, particularly the costs associated with keeping petrol prices stable. He suggested that the government should disclose the details of any financial support being provided to petroleum marketers or other participants in the sector.
Sowore’s comments come more than three years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration in May 2023. The policy triggered a sharp increase in fuel prices and contributed to wider economic pressures on households and businesses.
The government has maintained that the subsidy regime was removed and that the administration’s subsequent measures are aimed at allowing market forces to determine fuel prices while protecting Nigerians through targeted interventions.
Sowore, however, has continued to criticise the administration’s economic reforms, arguing that Nigerians are still bearing the consequences of policies that have increased the cost of living without delivering sufficient relief.
His latest allegation is likely to reignite debate over the true cost of petrol pricing in Nigeria and whether government interventions in the sector amount to an indirect continuation of fuel subsidies.
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