Atiku says the 30-day petrol discount is too limited and urges the government to adopt a permanent production-based approach.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount at NNPC stations, describing it as too limited and selective to provide lasting relief to Nigerians.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued by his media office on Thursday, following the government’s announcement of a temporary discount on petrol sold through NNPC Limited stations, with priority for public transporters.
The Federal Government has said the measure is not a subsidy, with Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele saying petrol would be sold at cost during the 30-day period.
Atiku’s media office said the announcement was an affirmation of the former vice-president’s earlier proposal for a production-based subsidy to make locally refined petrol more affordable.
It accused the Tinubu administration of rejecting Atiku’s proposal in the past while now introducing measures to influence petrol prices and cushion consumers from market fluctuations.
The statement questioned what had changed between the government’s earlier position on subsidies and its current intervention.
It also raised concerns about access to the discount, arguing that the measure would be limited by the distribution of NNPC retail stations across the country.
The statement said NNPC Retail has more than 900 outlets nationwide but that their distribution is uneven across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
It questioned how Nigerians living in communities without NNPC stations would benefit from the discount without travelling long distances to access the cheaper petrol.
The Atiku camp also cited NNPC’s July 2026 report, which put petrol availability across its retail network at 52 per cent. The figure was also reported in coverage of NNPC’s July performance report.
The statement questioned how the government could provide nationwide relief through a network where petrol availability had been limited.
It also challenged the government’s position that its planned interventions did not amount to a subsidy or price control.
The statement argued that government-negotiated price limits and arrangements to recover potential losses when market conditions improve could still raise questions about who ultimately bears the cost.
It asked whether NNPC revenues, public funds or future consumers would eventually carry the burden.
Atiku’s media office said Nigerians needed longer-term measures to reduce petrol and transport costs rather than a discount that would expire after 30 days.
It renewed the former vice-president’s proposal for a production-based subsidy built around domestic refining, targeted crude-pricing arrangements and safeguards to ensure lower production costs translate into lower pump prices.
The statement also pointed to the Federal Government’s plan for forward crude sales to domestic refiners, announced alongside the petrol discount.
Oyedele had said the government could sell crude to refiners at an agreed price for a fixed period to provide certainty for refiners and greater stability for consumers.
Atiku’s media office said the policy showed the government was now considering production-side interventions similar to the approach it had previously rejected.
It accused the administration of changing its position on petrol-price intervention and linked the timing of the latest measure to the 2027 general election.
The statement also referred to comments by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, who acknowledged on Channels Television’s Politics Today that more Nigerians had fallen into poverty following the administration’s economic reforms.
Bwala, while defending the reforms, said the government had made “marked progress” since they began.
Atiku’s media office said the government should publish details of the proposed price intervention, its financial implications and the outlets that would participate.
It also called for an explanation of how the measure would translate into lower transport fares, cheaper food and reduced living costs.
The statement said the government should prioritise a lasting response to the cost-of-living pressures facing Nigerians rather than a temporary intervention.
