Nigeria: Atiku Speaks On Tinubu's 30-Day Fuel Discount

What the report says

Former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s proposed 30-day petrol discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail stations, calling it a short-term measure that would not address the broader pressure of high fuel and living costs. The comments were reported by Premium Times and distributed by AllAfrica on 9 October 2026 from Abuja.

According to the report, Atiku, speaking through a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu of the African Democratic Congress presidential campaign council, questioned the timing of the plan ahead of the 2027 elections. He argued that a temporary discount would leave Nigerians facing the same transport and food costs once it ends, and he also faulted the plan for being limited to NNPC outlets without clear details on the savings per litre.

Atiku used the criticism to restate his own proposal for production support for locally refined petroleum products, saying such an approach would be more durable if properly budgeted and designed to benefit consumers. The report notes that he has presented this as an alternative to the fuel subsidy model.

The government, meanwhile, said the discount would prioritize public transport operators and was not a return to the former subsidy system, though officials did not specify the exact pump price or discount amount. The exchange highlights the continuing political and economic debate over fuel pricing in Nigeria after the 2023 subsidy removal, which was followed by sharp price increases and higher inflationary pressure.