By Kelvin Obambon
Former Minister of Transportation and Vice Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the administration’s handling of the fuel subsidy removal.
Speaking on Saturday during a town hall meeting in Calabar, Cross River State, Amaechi alleged that President Tinubu acted recklessly by removing the subsidy without preparing economic safety nets, suggesting the move was a punitive measure against citizens who did not support him in the 2023 presidential election.
Addressing a crowd of supporters, the former Rivers State Governor disputed claims that the sudden removal of fuel subsidy reflected political bravery, arguing instead that it demonstrated economic oversight and indifference to public welfare.
READ ALSO: INEC begins stakeholders engagement ahead of 2027 general election in Anambra
“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?’ But what he did—he said he was advised not to remove the subsidy, but because he had courage, he removed the subsidy,” Amaechi stated.
Drawing an analogy from his tenure overseeing Nigeria’s rail sector, the former transport minister lamented over the danger of abrupt policy actions, stating “There’s a small line between courage and recklessness. You know that if you see a moving train and you stand in front of it, you have courage, you have recklessness. The moment the driver of the train applies brake, the train will stop 800 metres away. The implication, therefore, is that if you stand in front of a train, even if the driver is an expert and applies his brake, it won’t stop immediately.”
Amaechi alleged that the policy implementation reflects the administration’s disregard for the populace following the outcome of the 2023 general elections.
“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,” Amaechi said.
“He was very angry with you for not voting for him. So he decided to punish you for not voting for him. Because at the moment he removes subsidy without a replacement or without finding a solution to the consequences.”
Highlighting the immediate ripple effects of the subsidy removal on transport, logistics, and everyday living costs, Amaechi questioned the government’s fiscal interventions and economic terminology.
“When he announced that he was going to remove subsidy, what happened? The cost of transportation increased. And it also affected every aspect of living,” he noted, referencing his past experience as Minister of Transportation.
The ADC Vice Presidential candidate also expressed his readiness to debate the administration’s economic team on policy solutions and economic management, promising that the opposition would firmly challenge the ruling party through electoral and constitutional channels.
“Even though I’m not an economist, I’m still ready for a debate with anyone they will bring forward,” Amaechi asserted. “One thing that will happen in this election is we are not going to court.”
