RismadarVoice Reporters
September 22, 2026
Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said an administration led by the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would pursue a different approach to petrol subsidy if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso said the proposed approach would focus on reducing the price Nigerians pay for petrol, including through increased investment in domestic refining capacity.
Speaking during a television interview, the former Kano State governor said the NDC would seek measures aimed at making petrol more affordable rather than simply returning to the previous subsidy arrangement.
“We are bringing subsidy in our own way,” Kwankwaso said.
He argued that if private investors could establish refineries in Nigeria, the Federal Government could also invest in additional refining capacity where necessary to meet domestic demand.
According to him, increasing local production would form part of the party’s strategy for reducing dependence on imported petroleum products and lowering costs for consumers.
“If individuals in this country could build refineries, I see no reason why government, under certain circumstances, will not build a refinery or refineries to the extent that we achieve the minimum requirement,” he said.
Kwankwaso described that minimum requirement as a situation in which Nigerians could purchase petrol at what he considered a reasonable price.
He said an NDC administration would pursue policies intended to bring petrol prices down.
The comments outline a proposed policy direction rather than an existing government programme, and details including the potential cost, funding structure and precise mechanism of the proposed subsidy have not yet been publicly specified.
KWANKWASO FAULTS 2023 SUBSIDY REMOVAL APPROACH
Kwankwaso also criticised the manner in which President Bola Tinubu’s administration removed the petrol subsidy after assuming office in 2023.
He acknowledged that the major presidential candidates in the 2023 election had expressed support for ending the subsidy regime but argued that the implementation required greater consideration of its economic consequences.
His criticism focused particularly on the speed with which the policy was implemented.
Kwankwaso argued that the government should have considered measures to cushion the effects on households and businesses before implementing the change.
The Tinubu administration has defended the removal of petrol subsidy as an economic reform intended to eliminate a significant fiscal burden and redirect public resources, although the policy has also coincided with higher transport and living costs for Nigerians.
Kwankwaso’s remarks place petrol pricing and domestic refining among the economic issues being raised by the NDC ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi emerged as the NDC presidential candidate earlier this year and subsequently named Kwankwaso as his running mate.
