The Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said a government led by the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would reintroduce fuel subsidy, but through a different approach.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, said this during an interview while discussing fuel pricing and the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said the NDC would seek ways to reduce the cost of petrol for Nigerians, including increased investment in domestic refining.
Explaining the proposed approach, he said government could establish more refineries to boost local production and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
According to him, the expansion of domestic refining capacity would help ensure that Nigerians can purchase petrol at what he described as a reasonable price.
Both Obi and Kwankwaso have criticised the current administration’s handling of fuel pricing and agreed that Nigerians need relief from high pump prices.
However, they appear to differ on a key question: whether the subsidy should return.
Recall that Obi, has consistently defended the removal of fuel subsidy.
Reports have it that Obi’s position, as reflected in his 2023 manifesto and subsequent interviews, is that the subsidy should have been removed in a structured and phased manner.
According to Obi, the government should have first tackled corruption and established a transparent pricing framework with operators in the downstream petroleum sector.
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