Tinubu Warns Nigerians Against Calls to Restore Petrol Subsidy

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to reject calls to bring back petrol subsidies, arguing that reversing his administration’s economic reforms would take the country back to the problems the policies were designed to address.

Tinubu made the appeal in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on October 1, 2026, as the debate over the future of petrol subsidies increasingly features in political discussions ahead of the 2027 general election.

The president ended Nigeria’s petrol subsidy regime in May 2023, shortly after assuming office, and subsequently introduced other major economic changes, including the unification of foreign exchange rates and adjustments to electricity tariffs.

Tinubu defended the reforms in his national address, arguing that the previous subsidy system had consumed substantial public resources while leaving the underlying weaknesses in the economy unresolved.

He urged Nigerians to resist what he described as calls from “influential but regressive voices” to abandon the reforms and return to the previous subsidy arrangement.

The president argued that his administration’s policies had confronted longstanding economic problems rather than created them.

“Our reforms did not create the weaknesses in our economy. They confronted them,” Tinubu said.

His comments come amid renewed political debate over whether petrol subsidies should return ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Several opposition figures have publicly discussed forms of subsidy restoration or measures aimed at reducing petrol costs.

Tinubu maintained that Nigeria should continue along the reform path rather than reverse course.

He acknowledged the difficult adjustments associated with the reforms but argued that the country had already moved too far along the new economic path to return to the previous system.

“Now, as certain influential but regressive voices would have us abandon the treatment and return ourselves to the abuse of addictive subsidies, we must resist their siren song,” he said.

The president concluded by urging Nigerians to look beyond the immediate pressures associated with the reforms and remain focused on the direction of the economy.

“So let us go forward,” Tinubu said.