- Activist lawyer Maduabuchi Idam challenged President Tinubu over the 30-day fuel price discount announced by Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele at NNPCL stations
- Idam argued the discount was an implicit admission that fuel subsidy removal had caused severe hardship requiring government intervention
- The lawyer urged Nigerians to be cautious of policies he described as panic-driven and motivated by fear of losing the 2027 election
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Activist and lawyer Maduabuchi Idam has demanded that President Bola Tinubu either reverse the removal of the fuel subsidy or dismiss Taiwo Oyedele for insubordination, following Oyedele's announcement of a 30-day fuel price discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) filling stations nationwide.
Legit.ng reports that Oyedele is Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
Source: Twitter
In a signed statement shared on his social media page, Idam stated that the discount effectively amounted to an official acknowledgement that the hardship caused by the subsidy removal had grown too severe for the government to ignore.
Idam said:
"Now that the Minister of Finance has admitted, through the proposed fuel price intervention, that measures are necessary to cushion the effects of hardship on Nigerians, can President Tinubu now reverse the fuel subsidy removal or sack the Minister for insubordination?"
He framed the situation as a test of policy credibility, arguing that Tinubu faces a clear choice with no comfortable middle ground.
Idam questions Tinubu over fuel subsidy
The lawyer pressed the presidency on whether the implications of ending the subsidy were fully assessed before the decision was taken.
Idam said:
"What the Finance Minister has communicated to the Nigerian public, through the fuel price intervention, is that the consequences of fuel subsidy removal have become so severe that government intervention is now necessary.
"It raises a fundamental question: was the policy well thought out and its consequences thoroughly considered before implementation, or is the government now struggling to manage the fallout from a decision it is reluctant to reverse?"
He called on Tinubu to explain why the NNPCL discount does not contradict his position that removing the subsidy serves Nigeria's best interest.
Idam demands Tinubu’s apology to Nigerians
Furthermore, Idam said if President Tinubu views Oyedele's fuel price action as a breach of executive direction, he must own the contradiction and address Nigerians directly.
"If he considers the Minister's action an act of insubordination, then he should take responsibility for his position. Otherwise, an apology to Nigerians has become urgent," he said.
He warned citizens against what he described as policy decisions driven more by the fear of electoral defeat in 2027 than by a sincere effort to ease economic suffering.
"Leadership is not about defending a policy at all costs; it is about having the courage to admit when a policy is failing the people and the humility to change course," Idam added.
The subsidy removal, announced on May 29, 2023, by President Tinubu in his inauguration speech, triggered a sharp rise in fuel prices and has since drawn sustained criticism over its effect on the cost of living for ordinary Nigerians.
Read Maduabuchi Idam's full Facebook post on Taiwo Oyedele and President Bola Tinubu below:
Osekema tells Tinubu to sack Wike
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Ada Magaji Osekema, the co-founder of the Nigerian Humanist Organisation, called for the removal of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a post on his verified X handle, Osekema urged President Tinubu to instead assign Wike multiple, overlapping ministerial responsibilities.
Source: Legit.ng