Peter Obi Explains Why He Would Have Handled Subsidy Removal Differently

Former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential hopeful Peter Obi has clarified that he was never against the removal of fuel subsidy, insisting that he would have implemented the policy in a more organised and gradual manner.

Obi said there was “nothing wrong” with removing the subsidy, which he described as a system plagued by corruption, but faulted the way President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration announced and implemented the policy. He argued that the government should have clearly outlined how savings from the subsidy removal would be invested in critical sectors such as education, healthcare and poverty reduction.

The former Labour Party candidate also stated that he would have floated the naira, but only after boosting local production and strengthening sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. According to him, economic reforms of that scale require careful planning and transparency to minimise hardship on citizens.

Obi’s remarks come amid continued debate over the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate liberalisation, policies that have been praised by some investors but criticised by many Nigerians over rising living costs.