Kwankwaso: NDC Will Reintroduce Fuel Subsidy in New Form, Expand Refineries

By Nafiu Muhammad Lema

The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said the party would reintroduce fuel subsidy in a different form if elected in the 2027 general elections.

Kwankwaso, a former Kano State Governor, made the disclosure during an interview with Arise News, where he said the NDC would pursue measures aimed at reducing the price of petrol and expanding Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity.

He said the party would consider government investment in refineries alongside privately owned facilities to ensure sufficient domestic production.

“We are bringing subsidy in our own way. There are many ways,” Kwankwaso said.

He added that the government could establish additional refineries where necessary to meet the country’s minimum requirements and make petroleum products more affordable.

“What is the minimum requirement? The minimum requirement is for the people across the country to go to the filling stations and buy fuel at a reasonable price,” he said.

Kwankwaso further stated, “We in the NDC will do whatever it takes really to put the price of oil down.”

The NDC vice-presidential candidate also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy shortly after assuming office in 2023.

According to him, the three leading presidential candidates in the 2023 election had campaigned on subsidy removal, but he argued that the immediate implementation of the policy contributed to the economic difficulties experienced by Nigerians.

“Among the three of them, Bola Tinubu decided to remove the subsidy. And the consequences that we thought would happen certainly happened,” Kwankwaso said.

He argued that the policy should have been implemented with greater consideration for its potential economic and social consequences.

“And not only did he decide to remove the subsidy, what he did was to remove it immediately, in fact, day one, without looking at all those possible issues that were associated with that,” he said.

Kwankwaso also criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, accusing him of using the subsidy issue for political purposes.

He claimed that Atiku had previously expressed support for subsidy removal but was now making promises to address public frustration without clearly explaining how such a policy would be implemented.

“But you see, what Wazirin Adamawa did was just to play politics. I don’t think he meant what he said,” Kwankwaso said.

He added, “And secondly, really, he didn’t tell anybody how he’s going to do it.”

Kwankwaso maintained that the NDC’s proposed approach would focus on making petrol more affordable through domestic refining and other government interventions.