Fuel Subsidy: ‘Oyedele lacks right education’ — ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned the educational background of the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, arguing that he lacks the appropriate training to assess Nigeria’s controversial fuel subsidy policy.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the Federal Government’s proposed 30-day petrol discount.

Abdullahi argued that fuel subsidy was an ideological and economic issue requiring an understanding that went beyond accounting expertise.

“I’m not saying Oyedele is incompetent, but I think he doesn’t have the right education because the issue of subsidy is ideological, and we have to understand where you are coming from,” he said.

The ADC spokesman, however, acknowledged the minister’s intelligence, stressing that his criticism was directed at the perspective from which Oyedele approached economic policy.

“He’s an intelligent guy, and I respect him for that. However, the way an accountant views the economy is different from the way an economist does, and vice versa,” Abdullahi stated.

His remarks followed the Federal Government’s announcement of a temporary discount on petrol sold by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for 30 days.

The policy has generated debate over whether the price reduction amounts to a return of fuel subsidy, which the Tinubu administration previously removed.

Abdullahi maintained that understanding the ideological basis of subsidy was essential to assessing such government interventions.