Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
I write this open letter as a concerned Nigerian and as one among millions of citizens who continue to feel the consequences of the fuel subsidy removal announced by your administration in May 2023.
Your Excellency, we understand the argument behind the policy. Your administration has consistently maintained that the subsidy had become financially unsustainable and that the resources previously committed to it could instead be directed toward infrastructure, education, healthcare, transportation, job creation and other national priorities. You have also acknowledged that the decision would impose additional burdens on ordinary Nigerians.
However, the central question Nigerians are asking today is simple:
Has the sacrifice demanded from the Nigerian people produced enough visible improvement in their daily lives?
The removal of fuel subsidy did not affect only the price of petrol. It affected transportation, food distribution, farming, small businesses, school expenses and the general cost of living. When transportation becomes more expensive, almost every commodity becomes more expensive because goods and people must move from one place to another.
For many families, the challenge is no longer simply buying petrol. It is paying school fees, feeding their families, paying rent, accessing healthcare and maintaining a small business in an economy where the cost of almost everything has increased.
The World Bank has similarly warned that the immediate effects of petrol-price increases can reduce household purchasing power and that targeted compensation is important to protect poorer and vulnerable Nigerians.
Your Excellency, Nigerians Need to See the Dividend of Sacrifice
If subsidy removal was necessary to rescue the nation’s finances, then Nigerians deserve to see clearly where the savings and additional revenues are going.
The government should provide Nigerians with regular, simple and transparent reports showing:
How much has been saved or generated since the reform;
How much has been invested in roads, railways and public transportation;
What has been spent on healthcare and education;
How many jobs have been created;
What measures have been implemented to reduce transportation costs;
How vulnerable households are being protected; and
What measurable improvements Nigerians should expect in the coming years.
The government has already introduced interventions such as the Infrastructure Support Fund and programmes intended to cushion the effects of subsidy removal. The challenge now is to ensure that these interventions are sufficiently effective, transparent and visible to ordinary citizens.
The 2027 Election Must Be About Accountability
As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, Nigerians will not judge your administration only by political speeches or campaign slogans.
They will judge it by their experiences.
They will ask:
Can I afford transportation?
Can my family afford food?
Can I keep my children in school?
Can I access affordable healthcare?
Has my business improved?
Have government revenues translated into better services?
Is Nigeria becoming more economically secure?
These are legitimate questions in a democracy.
Your administration has described the subsidy removal as a difficult but necessary reform designed to prevent fiscal collapse and create a stronger economic foundation. If that foundation is to earn lasting public support, Nigerians must be able to see and feel its benefits.
Our Appeal
Mr. President, Nigerians are not necessarily asking for the country to return to the old system simply because it was familiar.
They are asking for relief, accountability and results.
We therefore respectfully appeal to your administration to:
Reduce the cost of public transportation through expanded and affordable mass transit.
Strengthen targeted support for poor and vulnerable households.
Accelerate investment in domestic refining so Nigeria can reduce its vulnerability to imported petroleum costs.
Support farmers and food producers to reduce the cost of food.
Publish clear reports on subsidy savings and their utilisation.
Expand employment and skills programmes for young Nigerians.
Strengthen healthcare and education, particularly for low-income families.
Listen more closely to citizens, especially those who are struggling to survive the economic transition.
Your Excellency, leadership is not only about making difficult decisions. It is also about ensuring that citizens who bear the cost of those decisions eventually receive the benefits.
The Nigerian people have been asked to make sacrifices. As we approach 2027, the most powerful campaign message your administration can present will not be a slogan.
It will be evidence.
Evidence that the sacrifice was necessary.
Evidence that public resources are being responsibly managed.
Evidence that the economy is becoming stronger.
And, most importantly, evidence that ordinary Nigerians are beginning to live better lives.
Mr. President, history will judge your administration not simply by the reforms it announced, but by what those reforms ultimately delivered for the Nigerian people.
The people have endured the pain. Now, let them see the gain.
Yours faithfully,
Khalifa Umar Bappah
khalifaumarb@gmail.com
