The presidency has provided an explanation on President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to reinstate or refund the fuel subsidy.
In an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today, Daniel Bwala, Special Advisor to the President on Policy Communications, blamed the cause on petrol sector fraud.
He further claimed that the subsidy regime was helping non-Nigerians and that the industry was full of dishonest people.
He said, “The reason President Tinubu has refused to return the subsidy on fuel is that historically the beneficiaries of this subsidy are not the Nigerian people. It is fraud people in that industry.
“The concept of subsidy itself is not anathema to this government. That’s why you see that we have subsidized on dialysis 50%. We have subsidized in areas of agricultural element, things that affect our people.
“All the governors of Nigeria are happy because of increased revenues.
“President bola Tinubu’s style of leadership is not rigid. It’s flexible. That’s why, even with borrowing, he said it is not leprosy. If there is a demand for subsidy, President Tinubu will do that for now.”
BACKSTORY – Mahdi Shehu slams subsidy removal as massive corruption, big scam
Public affairs commentator Mahdi Shehu in February, accused the Federal Government of exploiting the removal of fuel subsidy to shield corruption instead of eliminating it.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Shehu described the policy as the biggest scam and act of corruption in Nigeria’s history, drawing comparisons between subsidy payments made in previous years and recent expenditure figures released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
He stated that a total of ₦5.7 trillion was spent on fuel subsidy in 2021 and 2022 combined.
He, however, questioned NNPCL’s claim that it spent ₦17.5 trillion between January and December 2025 to secure oil pipelines.
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