ABUJA, Nigeria – The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress for Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, Omoyele Sowore, stated on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, that he would restore the fuel subsidy if elected president.
Okay News reports that Omoyele Sowore outlined his pledge during an interview on ARISE TV when asked if he planned to reinstate the fuel subsidy program, responding, “Absolutely.”
Omoyele Sowore stated that the Federal Government continues to subsidise aspects of the economy, including the national currency, despite official statements regarding total subsidy removal. He said, “The reason the Naira is at a certain, you know, rate to a dollar, is because it’s being quietly and secretly subsidized.”
He said high-income importers receive financial relief through waivers granted by Customs while ordinary citizens lose government support. He said, “In fact, the people that get the most subsidy in Nigeria is not the poor, it’s the rich. All the people who bring in, you know, foreign goods and services, go and look at their waivers at customs. You will know who is getting real subsidy compared to the people who are getting 10-10 Naira ($0.0063 USD) from each gallon of petrol that was taken away from them.” He added, “And you saw what happened immediately you remove subsidy. Look at where your economy tanked. Your Naira also went down the toilet.”
Omoyele Sowore also cited food security data from the Food and Agriculture Organization, referencing conditions projected for 2026. He said, “The Food and Agriculture Organization regards Nigeria as one of the places where you need food in 2026. That is to say, we are so bad, and we are about the only country producing oil that is on FAO’s list of countries that, you know, that has food shortages. That’s, that’s the country we are in.”
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, stating that the government would redirect those funds into infrastructure, healthcare, education, and job creation.
