- YPP presidential candidate Peter Agada said he would keep Tinubu's petrol subsidy removal if he wins the 2027 election
- Agada made the declaration during a Channels Television interview, where he outlined his economic plans
- The candidate argued Nigeria's real problem lies in how oil revenues are managed and how public money is spent
The Young Progressives Party's (YPP) presidential candidate, Peter Agada, a major contender for President Bola Tinubu, has said he will not bring back the petrol subsidy if he wins the 2027 presidential election, backing a policy that has remained one of the most debated reforms of the Tinubu administration.
Agada made his position clear on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, where he laid out his thinking on Nigeria's revenue and spending challenges.
Source: Facebook
President Bola Tinubu scrapped the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, the day he was inaugurated, triggering sharp increases in fuel prices and pushing up the cost of everyday goods and services across the country.
Why Agada is backing the subsidy removal
Not all presidential hopefuls share his view. African Democratic Congress candidate Atiku Abubakar has called for the subsidy to be brought back as a way to bring down fuel costs and ease hardship on ordinary Nigerians. Agada, however, argued that the subsidy is not the source of Nigeria's economic pain.
In his view, the deeper problem is how Nigeria handles the money it earns from oil. Drawing on comments by Minister of State for Finance Taiwo Oyedele, Agada questioned how much revenue the federal government actually keeps after paying royalties and covering the costs of crude oil production. He suggested the amount remaining was far too small to meet the country's needs, regardless of how much oil Nigeria produces.
He also said his administration would take a close look at the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) system, which he described as flawed from the start and in need of serious reform to cut waste and improve government earnings.
Spending discipline at the centre of his plan
Agada acknowledged that Nigeria has both a revenue problem and a spending problem, but he was direct about which one he sees as the bigger threat: inefficient public expenditure. He said plugging financial leakages and tightening how government money is managed would be the foundation of his economic approach, rather than reversing the subsidy removal.
His comments place him among the candidates who believe the subsidy's removal, painful as it has been, should be made to work through better governance rather than undone by a future government.
See the video of his interview on X here:
Atiku criticises Tinubu's economic policy
Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar addressed Nigerians on Wednesday, October 14, citing hunger, insecurity, and rising costs as reasons to demand political change in 2027.
The NDC presidential candidate urged registered voters to collect their PVCs, describing the card as their peaceful power to demand change.
Atiku's message took direct aim at President Tinubu, promising to make life affordable and restore security if elected.
Source: Legit.ng