By Kazeem Waris
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the N66-per-litre petrol discount announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), describing the initiative as a political gimmick and demanding transparency over its financial implications.
Atiku, in a press statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, questioned who authorised the discount, whether the NNPC board approved it and how the company would account for the revenue sacrificed.
He argued that the initiative raised questions about whether the administration was offering meaningful relief to motorists or using the national oil company to generate political goodwill without adequately explaining the cost.
“Tinubu wants Nigerians to cheer for N66 off a litre before they ask who ordered NNPC to surrender the money. He wants credit for the discount without showing the board approval, the cost or the account that will carry it,” Atiku said.
The former vice president maintained that NNPC Limited, operating as a commercial entity under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), should not be treated as a convenient source of funding for presidential publicity.
He challenged the Federal Government to disclose the financial projections behind the discount, the corporate procedures followed in approving it and how any foregone revenue would be reflected in the company’s accounts.
Atiku also questioned the accessibility of the initiative, citing NNPC Retail’s network of just over 900 filling stations in a country with an estimated population of about 242 million.
According to him, motorists could incur additional transport costs, spend time in queues and navigate an application to access the discount, potentially reducing the actual savings.
“A press release can reach every Nigerian in a second. His discount cannot,” he said.
Atiku questions subsidy-free claim
The ADC chieftain also accused the Tinubu administration of applying market principles selectively, arguing that the government invokes market forces when Nigerians demand lower petrol prices but introduces discounts when it seeks public approval.
He disputed the suggestion that the arrangement could be distinguished from a subsidy simply by how it was described, insisting that the financial implications required public scrutiny.
“Changing the label does not erase the cost,” Atiku argued, calling on the administration to explain how the initiative would affect NNPC’s finances.
The former vice president further revisited his disagreement with Tinubu over fuel affordability, claiming that the President had adopted the principle of targeted relief without making the discount sufficiently accessible to Nigerians nationwide.
“Bola, you mocked my proposal for a transparent production subsidy. Now you have borrowed its central lesson, that Nigerians need targeted relief, and come back with an app coupon lasting 30 days at a handful of stations,” he said.
He added: “You borrowed the recipe for feeding a nation and returned with a tasting spoon.”
Atiku’s criticism centres on three issues: the approval process for the discount, the financial burden on NNPC Limited and the extent to which motorists across the country can benefit from the offer.
The questions he raised place the spotlight on the need for clarity over the commercial arrangements underpinning the discount and the criteria used to determine which consumers can access it.
