Dele Momodu says Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal was bad news from day one

Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and publisher of Ovation Magazine, told Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday that President Bola Tinubu gave Nigerians bad news from day one by announcing the removal of the fuel subsidy on his inauguration day, May 29, 2023. Momodu said the move has left the country without recovery and criticized the lack of transparent facts and figures about the subsidy’s cost, describing it as shrouded in mystery.

He questioned why the Tinubu administration continues to borrow more than all previous presidents despite the subsidy removal, arguing that Nigerians cannot query their leaders because of a dictatorial climate where elected officials are beyond scrutiny. "Nobody gives bad news on a celebration day. That’s what Tinubu did. He gave bad news to Nigerians from day one, and Nigeria has not recovered since then," Momodu said. He added, "We don’t even have facts and figures about the subsidy. It’s shrouded in mystery. All we just hear is, yes, we’ve removed it." He also warned, "Secondly, why are you still borrowing more than all the other presidents? It’s a simple thing to ask, but because we have a kind of dictatorship in Nigeria where you cannot query any of the people elected by Nigerians, you can’t query anybody. So, that is why right now they are getting angry when anybody goes there."

Given these concerns about transparency and borrowing, how should Nigerians assess the government's economic policies and demand accountability?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/08/21/subsidy-tinubu-gave-nigerians-bad-news-from-day-one-dele-momodu/