IMPI Raises Concerns Over Atiku’s Proposed Fuel Subsidy Model
IMPI Raises Concerns Over Atiku’s Proposed Fuel Subsidy Model
The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore a targeted fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy could undermine Nigeria’s ongoing downstream petroleum-sector reforms.
In a policy statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, IMPI Chairman, Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, said Atiku’s proposed model would shift fuel support from petrol imports to domestic production.
According to Akinsiju, the proposal would involve providing eligible public and private refineries with crude oil at discounted prices, on the condition that the resulting savings would be passed on to consumers.
He argued that the arrangement could introduce politically determined pricing into the downstream petroleum market and conflict with the framework established by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
IMPI also expressed concern that the proposed policy could affect the predictability of Nigeria’s petroleum-sector regulations and the revenue available to the Federation Account.
The statement comes amid renewed debate over the future of petrol pricing and the impact of the Federal Government’s decision to end the petrol subsidy in May 2023.
Atiku has maintained that his proposed intervention is targeted at reducing petrol prices through domestic refining rather than returning to the previous import-based subsidy arrangement.
