NDC: Tinubu’s 30-day petrol discount is tokenism, deceit

By Goodness Ndukuba, Awka

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount as “tokenism and deceit,” accusing the Bola Tinubu administration of attempting to reintroduce fuel subsidy “through the backdoor.”

Osa Director, National Publicity Secretary of the party in a statement, the opposition group said the temporary price cut at NNPC Limited retail stations was an inadequate response to the hardship triggered by fuel subsidy removal.

The Federal Government had announced that petrol dispensed through NNPC Limited would be sold at a discount for an initial 30 days, with priority for public transport operators nationwide.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the arrangement was not a subsidy, but an intervention to sell petrol at cost.

The NDC, however, rejected the explanation, describing the measure as a “Greek gift” from a government which, according to the NDC, removed subsidy without adequate consultation or cushioning for Nigerians.

“Nigerians cannot be deceived,” the party said, arguing that the temporary discount does not address the wider economic consequences of the policy.

The NDC questioned the fate of millions of Nigerians who, it claimed, had lost jobs or seen businesses collapse following subsidy removal, linking the policy to pressures on the healthcare system.

It also criticized the decision to restrict the discounted product to designated NNPC outlets, questioning whether the number of such stations is sufficient to serve over 200 million people.

The party warned that long queues and congestion at filling stations could pose safety risks, including possible stampedes.

“It is clear that President Bola Tinubu and the APC government are desperate, and Nigerians must not be deceived. Emilokanomics has failed woefully,” the statement said.

The NDC further described the initiative as evidence of a government “in free fall,” claiming the economy was approaching a tipping point.

The party, however, offered no alternative cost estimate for the 30-day intervention or details of how its own policies would address petrol pricing and the cost-of-living crisis.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the NDC urged Nigerians to vote for Peter Obi and other candidates of the party, saying it would “put Nigeria back on the right track.”

It called on voters to turn out for the poll scheduled for January 16, 2027, in what it described as a bid to remove the APC from power.