Political commentator and businessman Isaac Fayose has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to introduce a 30-day discount on petrol sold at NNPCL filling stations, questioning the timing of the intervention as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
Fayose reacted after the government announced the temporary discount on Thursday, with Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele saying public transport operators would receive priority and insisting that the arrangement was not a return to petrol subsidy.
According to Oyedele, the government is offering the discount by allowing NNPCL to sell petrol at cost for the initial 30-day period.
But Fayose questioned why the administration was introducing the measure after years of hardship associated with higher fuel and transportation costs.
“It’s 100 days to election, the same APC government that removed the fuel subsidy has stylishly reintroduced it for 30 days,” Fayose said.
He further suggested that the temporary measure could be extended until the election and argued that Nigerians had endured the consequences of the subsidy removal for years.
Fayose’s comments reflect a broader opposition narrative that the timing of the intervention is politically significant, particularly with the 2027 election approaching.
However, the government has rejected the characterisation of the programme as a return to subsidy. Oyedele explicitly said the arrangement was designed to sell petrol at cost and provide immediate relief, rather than restore the former subsidy regime.
The government has also announced additional measures to address rising petrol prices, including a proposed ceiling of about ₦1,350 per litre on petrol landing or ex-gantry costs. The broader package is intended to reduce the impact of volatility in international energy markets on domestic consumers.
The political argument over the policy is therefore likely to persist, particularly as parties begin framing the cost of living and fuel pricing as major issues ahead of 2027.
For millions of Nigerians, however, the central question is less about the political interpretation of the policy and more about whether it will translate into cheaper transport, lower business costs and immediate relief at the household level.
The 30-day duration also leaves open the question of what happens after the intervention expires — an issue likely to remain at the centre of the political debate over the government’s economic policies as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.