Debates over the removal of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy have resurfaced ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition figures and critics questioning the policy amid rising living costs. However, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) says the debate is now belated and attention should instead shift towards ensuring Nigerians feel the benefits of the policy.
PENGASSAN President Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro stated this while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“I think the argument over whether to remove the subsidy or not to remove it is belated now. We have done it, but we need to start seeing the benefits of fuel subsidy removal in the lives of common Nigerians,” Olabiyi-Agoro said on Friday.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy shortly after assuming office in May 2023. Since then, petrol prices have risen from about ₦200 per litre to around ₦1,300 per litre.
The policy has been linked by economists and other commentators to the rising cost of living, while opposition politicians and critics have continued to fault the Federal Government over the impact on Nigerians.
More than three years after the policy was introduced, some presidential candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have promised to reverse it. The Federal Government, however, maintains that there is no plan to return to fuel subsidy payments.
The PENGASSAN president acknowledged that the policy was “painful”, noting that it “became extremely hard on Nigerians and workers” who continue to grapple with economic hardship.
While Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recorded a 4.43 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2026, Olabiyi-Agoro said the government must ensure that improvements in economic indicators go beyond statistics and have a direct impact on citizens.
He said the country must move beyond “traction in the macroeconomic indicators affecting Nigeria”.
According to him, economic improvements should “translate into food or better living conditions for the average Nigerian.”
“What we are advocating for at the moment is that we want to see that translate into what is going to help a common man and not just the things that we see in figures,” the PENGASSAN chief said on the breakfast show.
Yes, those figures are good. We can relate to some of them. The GDP is getting better; the balance of trade. Things like our reserves in terms of forex – all those things are positive, but we want to see positive things in the lives of common Nigerians, and as workers, we are ready to do our own and put in our own input in that perspective to support whichever government is in power.”
Olabiyi-Agoro also linked improvements in the availability of petroleum products to the removal of the subsidy.
“From the moment there was no budget for subsidy again up until now, we believe that we are buying products at their right prices without the government putting in a subsidy, so I think we’ve left one side of that argument [on whether to remove subsidy or not],” Olabiyi-Agoro said.
He maintained that the focus should now be on translating the economic gains associated with the policy into tangible improvements in the daily lives of Nigerians.
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