Arise News anchor Rufai Oseni has reacted humorously to the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount, suggesting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s earlier position on fuel-price relief has gained renewed relevance.
In a remark attributed to him following the government’s announcement, Oseni said Atiku was bold to have advocated his proposal, jokingly describing the former vice president as a prophet.
“Atiku bold oooo, he’s a prophet. He told President Tinubu to copy his subsidy idea, and today we have a subsidy price cap for 30 days. Hahahahah! Atiku, do small!” the statement attributed to Oseni read.
The reaction followed the Federal Government’s announcement that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) would temporarily forgo its retail profit margin and sell petrol at cost for an initial 30-day period, with priority given to public transporters.
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the arrangement was intended to cushion Nigerians against rising global crude oil prices and was not a reinstatement of the petrol subsidy abolished in 2023.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has separately criticised the intervention, arguing that a temporary discount would not resolve the underlying problems driving up fuel prices, transport fares and the cost of living.
He has also advocated a production-support approach tied to petrol refined in Nigeria, arguing that a structured arrangement could help reduce consumer prices while supporting domestic refining.
The similarity between the two approaches has become a subject of political debate, although the government has explicitly characterised its current policy as a temporary cost-based arrangement rather than a return to the former subsidy system.
Oseni’s reported reaction adds a media dimension to the dispute, which has quickly become more than a question of fuel pricing. It has also developed into a contest over which political proposals offer the most credible route to economic relief.
For consumers, the more important question remains whether the intervention will produce meaningful savings at the pump and whether any reduction in fuel costs will translate into lower transport fares and prices for essential goods.
The 30-day period will provide an initial test of the government’s ability to deliver immediate relief. The longer-term challenge, however, is finding a sustainable way to make energy more affordable without recreating the fiscal pressures associated with the previous subsidy regime.