•Fuel pump
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described the removal of petrol subsidy as unconstitutional and harmful to citizens.
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who promised to return the subsidy if voted in as president, called on the federal government to fully account for revenues, savings, and deductions since the removal of the fuel subsidy, as Nigerians now buy petrol at N1,470 per litre and more, reports The Guardian.
HURIWA said Nigerians never gave broad-based consent to the policy before President Bola Tinubu announced its removal on May 29, 2023.
In a statement yesterday by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA rejected the Federal Government’s position that there would be no return to the subsidy regime.
The association argued that the presidency could not use the declaration of “no going back” to shut down legitimate debate over a policy with far-reaching effects on Nigerians.
It said repeated increases in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices worsened inflation and reduced the purchasing power of citizens.
“Government cannot continue to impose unbearable energy costs on Nigerians while claiming that the subsidy debate is permanently settled,” HURIWA said.
According to the group, rising energy costs are also driving up transportation and food prices while placing greater pressure on workers, pensioners, businesses and low-income households.
HURIWA acknowledged the government’s claim that subsidy removal had generated substantial resources for the federation, citing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who said the policy generated N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.
However, HURIWA questioned the extent to which ordinary Nigerians had benefited from the savings, while demanding verifiable evidence showing how the funds had improved transportation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, wages and social protection.
It also rejected arguments that restoring subsidy would create legal and fiscal complications or discourage investment in domestic refining, saying such concerns should not override the welfare of citizens facing rising energy costs.
The group further said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar‘s proposal for controlled intervention in the oil and gas sector deserved serious public scrutiny.
It maintained that Nigeria must protect vulnerable citizens while strengthening domestic refining and preventing corruption, smuggling and fiscal leakages.
“Economic reforms cannot be sustainable when citizens are excluded from meaningful consultation and left to bear the heaviest burden of those reforms,” the association said.
It, therefore, called for an urgent review of the government’s energy pricing policy and measures to reduce energy costs without creating another avenue for corruption.
It also urged Nigerians to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, expression and protest when opposing policies they consider harmful to their welfare.
Also, speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, PhrankShaibu, yesterday, Atiku said subsidy removal was presented to Nigerians as a policy that would free resources for education, healthcare, infrastructure and other essential services.
Nearly three and a half years later, he noted, citizens are facing high fuel prices and deserve a clear explanation of how the proceeds have been applied.
“Petrol at N1,470 per litre is not merely a figure at the filling station; it enters the price of transportation, food, school runs, farming, manufacturing and virtually everything Nigerians buy. Every increase at the pump travels directly into the household budget.
“After all the sacrifices made by Nigerians, they have a right to ask: where are the subsidy savings and how have they been applied?” he said.
Atiku referenced official Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) records, noting that in June 2025, gross Federation Account revenue was reported at N4.232 trillion, while N1.818 trillion was distributed, with substantial amounts categorised as cost of collection, transfers, interventions, refunds and savings.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate called for a comprehensive reconciliation of federation account revenues since 2023, detailing gross collections, all deductions made before distribution, the statutory basis for each deduction, the receiving accounts and the ultimate application.
“Nigerians deserve accounts they can interrogate and understand, not accounting labels that discourage questions,” he said.
The former VP also urged full disclosure on the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, OML 143, oil-production revenues, NNPCL’s international Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trading operations and other oil-related revenue flows, to allow for independent verification.
He compared domestic fuel costs to those in the United States (U.S.), where petrol is about $4.31 per gallon, roughly $1.14 per litre, and the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, compared to Nigeria’s N70,000 monthly minimum wage.
