Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) Vice Presidential candidate, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the removal of fuel subsidy, alleging that Nigerians are paying the price for a policy introduced without adequate measures to cushion its economic consequences.
Amaechi made the allegation on Saturday during a town hall meeting in Calabar, Cross River State, where he questioned the economic reasoning behind the sudden removal of the subsidy and accused the President of failing to adequately consider the hardship the decision would impose on ordinary citizens.
The former Minister of Transportation argued that the decision, which was presented by its proponents as an act of political courage, was instead an example of recklessness, insisting that major economic reforms require careful planning, broad consultation and practical safety nets to protect vulnerable citizens.
In a pointed criticism of the President, Amaechi suggested that the hardship resulting from the policy reflected resentment towards Nigerians who did not vote for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, the government should have consulted economists, political scientists and other stakeholders before implementing a decision with far reaching consequences for the country's economy and the living conditions of its citizens.
“If I were him, I would have sat down with economists, with political scientists, and with some Nigerians and asked them, ‘What do we do?’” Amaechi said, faulting the administration's approach to the subsidy question.
He also challenged the notion that removing the subsidy without adequate preparation demonstrated strong leadership, warning that there was a dangerous difference between courage and recklessness when making decisions affecting millions of people.
Drawing from his experience as a former minister responsible for Nigeria's railway sector, Amaechi likened the consequences of abrupt policy decisions to the difficulty of stopping a moving train.
He explained that even when a train driver applies the brakes, the train cannot come to an immediate halt, using the analogy to illustrate why governments must anticipate the consequences of major decisions before putting them into effect.
“There is a small line between courage and recklessness,” he said, arguing that the consequences of the subsidy removal should have been carefully assessed before implementation.
Amaechi's strongest criticism centred on what he described as the administration's apparent disregard for citizens struggling with the rising cost of living.
“So when the president says, ‘I have the courage and I removed the subsidy,’ to the president, it did not matter. You are nobody. Do you know why you are nobody? Because you didn't vote for him,” he alleged.
He added, “He was very angry with you for not voting for him. So he decided to punish you for not voting for him.”
The allegations came as Amaechi highlighted the ripple effects of subsidy removal on transportation costs and the prices of goods and services, arguing that the policy had placed additional financial pressure on households and businesses.
He maintained that increased transport fares inevitably affect other sectors of the economy because the cost of moving people, food and other essential commodities influences the prices consumers eventually pay.
The former transportation minister also questioned the government's approach to managing the economic consequences of the reform, insisting that the removal of a major subsidy should have been accompanied by credible interventions capable of reducing the burden on citizens.
Although he acknowledged that he was not an economist, Amaechi expressed confidence in his ability to defend his position on the economy, challenging members of the administration's economic team to a public debate on the policy and its impact.
“Even though I'm not an economist, I'm still ready for a debate with anyone they will bring forward,” he declared.
The ADC chieftain further signalled the opposition's determination to challenge the ruling party through the democratic process, expressing confidence that the coming election would be contested differently.
“One thing that will happen in this election is we are not going to court,” he said.
Amaechi's remarks have brought renewed political attention to the debate over fuel subsidy removal, economic reforms and the extent to which government policies have affected Nigerians' purchasing power. His claim that the President's decision was intended to punish voters who did not support him remains an allegation made by the opposition figure and was not independently established in the account of the town hall meeting.
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