Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of exploiting Nigerians’ economic hardship for political gain following his criticism of the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount.
Gatekeepers News reports that Dare, in a statement on Sunday, described Atiku’s proposal for a production subsidy as a “dangerous mathematical fantasy wrapped in political deceit”.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had criticised the government’s decision to extend the petrol discount offered at Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited retail outlets, arguing that the measure would provide only temporary relief.
He also accused Tinubu of adopting his proposal on petrol subsidy but limiting the intervention to a 30-day discount.
Dare, however, argued that the former vice-president’s proposal failed to account for Nigeria’s crude oil production arrangements and the volume of oil available for government use.
According to him, Nigeria produces approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil daily, but fewer than 700,000 barrels are available to the government after accounting for contractual obligations under joint ventures and production-sharing agreements.
“To propose a blanket ‘targeted production subsidy’ on crude without the physical, unencumbered volume to back it up is pure economic illiteracy,” Dare said.
He argued that using crude oil to finance a production subsidy without considering existing obligations could reduce government revenue and revive the lack of transparency associated with the former petrol subsidy system.
Dare also said domestic refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, require more crude oil than the government can freely allocate without affecting existing supply agreements.
On the petrol discount, the presidential aide said NNPC Retail’s decision to forgo its profit margin for another 30 days was intended to cushion consumers against rising global oil prices rather than restore the previous subsidy arrangement.
He described the intervention as “a market-smoothing price modulation framework, not a return to unbudgeted federal spending”.
Dare added that the Federal Government had negotiated an interim ceiling of ₦1,350 per litre on ex-gantry costs, under which refiners and importers would absorb cost increases above the threshold and recover them when market conditions improved.
He said the arrangement was designed to moderate sudden increases in petrol prices and prevent sharp rises in transport fares.
“N1,400 today and N1,400 tomorrow provides far greater economic stability than N1,500 today and N1,300 tomorrow,” he said.
The presidential aide further highlighted the administration’s plans to expand compressed natural gas infrastructure and establish a strategic energy reserve to improve energy security and reduce the country’s exposure to international market fluctuations.
He defended the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market, arguing that the reforms had helped address longstanding economic distortions and increased allocations to state and local governments.
Dare also accused Atiku of using economic hardship to advance his political ambitions, describing his criticism as “election-laced demagoguery”.
“Chronic economic ailments built over thirty years cannot be cured by populist slogans or 30-day electioneering promises,” he said.
Atiku, meanwhile, has maintained that Nigerians need lasting relief from high petrol prices rather than a temporary discount. He has advocated capped and budgeted production support tied to petrol refined in Nigeria, with safeguards to ensure that the benefits reach consumers.
The disagreement highlights the competing positions of the Tinubu administration and the ADC presidential candidate on how to cushion Nigerians against high fuel costs while maintaining sustainable public finances.
