Iroegbu Blasts Tinubu Government as Inept Failure Over Subsidy and 30-Day Fuel Discount
Lagos, Nigeria—October 9, 2026—Political commentator and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) chieftain Mazi Nnamdi Dickson Iroegbu has launched a sharp attack on the Bola Tinubu-led federal government, describing it as “inept” and saying it has “utterly failed” in critical areas of economic management and governance.
Speaking in an interview aired on ARISE News, Iroegbu focused on the government’s long-standing defence of the 2023 fuel subsidy removal, the treatment of those who protested against it, and the recent introduction of a temporary 30-day petrol discount at NNPC retail outlets.
“This government has shown itself to be inept. It has continually described subsidy removal as a bold and necessary decision, while people who protested against it were detained. Now, days before the election, it has introduced a 30-day fuel discount,” Iroegbu said.
“There is nothing wrong with subsidies; corruption needs to be tackled, and the returns can go towards funding subsidies. The government has utterly failed in these areas.”
Subsidy Removal and the Cost-of-Living Crisis
President Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy shortly after his inauguration in May 2023, a move the administration has consistently portrayed as essential for fiscal sustainability and to end what it called a corrupt subsidy regime.
The policy triggered sharp rises in transport, food, and living costs that have dominated public debate for more than three years.
Iroegbu argued that the core problem was never subsidy itself but the corruption that previously surrounded subsidy claims and the subsequent mismanagement of the removal process.
He maintained that properly recovered funds from tackling graft could have been used to support targeted subsidies rather than leaving ordinary Nigerians to bear the full burden.
Opposition Criticizes Timing of Fuel Discount
The comments come amid intense political reaction to the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount at NNPC Limited stations, with priority for public transporters.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele has insisted the measure is not a return to subsidy but a temporary arrangement under which NNPC sells petrol at cost by forgoing its retail margin.
The NDC, Obidient Movement, and other opposition voices have dismissed the initiative as “tokenism,” a “Greek gift,” and an election-timed political gesture that cannot erase years of hardship.
Critics question both its limited duration and the practical reach of NNPC outlets across a population of more than 200 million.
Iroegbu’s appearance on ARISE News frames the discount as further evidence of policy inconsistency: a government that defended subsidy removal as irreversible and detained protesters is now offering short-term price relief as elections approach.
Iroegbu, a film director, producer, and consistent critic of the Tinubu administration, has previously described the government as a “total failure” and argued that its economic record has already undermined its re-election prospects.
His latest remarks reinforce the NDC’s broader narrative that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has mismanaged reforms and left Nigerians worse off.
As the 2027 general elections draw nearer, the cost of living, fuel pricing, and the legacy of subsidy removal remain central battlegrounds.
The government continues to maintain that its reforms were necessary and that temporary relief measures demonstrate responsiveness without reversing core policy.
Opposition figures, however, insist the latest discount exposes the failure of those reforms and the political calculations driving current decisions.
Whether the temporary fuel relief will ease immediate pressure or be remembered as a late political maneuver remains a live question in Nigeria’s charged pre-election climate.
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