HURIWA challenges FG over petrol subsidy removal
By Chioma Obinna
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the Federal Government’s position that petrol subsidy will not be restored, describing the policy as burdensome to Nigerians and calling for a review of the country’s energy pricing regime.
The group also demanded greater transparency over the use of funds it said were generated from subsidy removal between June 2023 and December 2025.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said the removal of subsidy, announced by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, had not been subjected to sufficient national debate or broad-based consultation.
The association rejected the Presidency’s position that the subsidy debate was settled, arguing that Nigerians should continue to have a say in policies with significant consequences for their livelihoods.
HURIWA said rising prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas had worsened the cost-of-living crisis, particularly for low-income households, workers and pensioners affected by inflation and declining purchasing power.
The group cited a claim by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, that subsidy removal generated N15.8 trillion in resources for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
According to the figure cited by HURIWA, N5.4 trillion accrued to the Federal Government, while N10.4 trillion was shared among states and local governments.
The association, however, questioned the extent to which the savings had translated into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“What measurable improvements in the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians can be directly linked to these enormous savings?” HURIWA asked.
The group also faulted the argument, attributed to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, that restoring subsidy could create legal and fiscal complications and discourage investment in domestic refining.
HURIWA acknowledged that the previous subsidy regime had been associated with corruption, smuggling, rent-seeking and fiscal leakages.
It argued, however, that removing the subsidy without an effective alternative social protection mechanism had shifted the burden of adjustment to ordinary Nigerians.
The association also said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a controlled intervention in the oil and gas sector, rather than a return to what he described as the opaque subsidy regime of the past, deserved public scrutiny.
HURIWA called for a broader national debate on measures to guarantee affordable energy, protect vulnerable citizens, strengthen domestic refining and prevent corruption in the management of public resources.
It demanded that the Federal Government publish verifiable details on how funds saved from subsidy removal had been deployed to transportation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, wages, social protection and other essential services.
The group warned that continued increases in energy prices could further fuel inflation, raise transportation and food costs, weaken businesses and erode household purchasing power.
HURIWA urged the Federal Government to review its energy pricing policy and introduce measures capable of reducing energy costs without creating new opportunities for corruption.
It also said Nigerians had the right to peacefully express opposition to policies they considered harmful to their welfare, stressing that subsidy removal should not be interpreted as an end to public debate.
“Nigerians should not be asked to accept permanent economic hardship merely because government describes subsidy removal as a reform,” the association said.
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