The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has rejected calls for the return of fuel subsidy, proposing instead that crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries should be priced to reflect the country’s status as an oil-producing nation.
Makinde spoke on Monday at the commissioning of the APM presidential campaign office in Abuja, where he said his proposal was not a return to the old subsidy regime but a different approach to reducing petrol costs.
The governor questioned why crude supplied to domestic refineries should be priced as though it were imported, insisting that Nigeria’s oil resources must provide tangible benefits to Nigerians.
“That is not my position. Let me explain my position very simply with this example. If a community grows food, the people of that community should not have to buy that food as though it travelled halfway around the world before reaching them. So why should crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries be priced as though Nigeria does not produce crude oil?” Makinde said.
He argued that any benefit from Nigeria’s crude should be incorporated into the system from the point of domestic crude supply rather than through interventions at the petrol pump after other costs and inefficiencies have accumulated.
Makinde also called for transparency across the petroleum value chain, covering production, domestic crude allocation, refining, transportation, distribution, taxes and retail margins.
“Nigerians should know what they are paying for, who receives what and where inefficiencies are increasing the final price. That is what it means to Reset Nigeria,” he said.
The APM candidate said his Reset Nigeria agenda was designed to make government more transparent and accountable and ensure that the country’s resources translate into improved living conditions for citizens.
Makinde also dismissed suggestions that his presidential campaign was insignificant, recalling that similar doubts had surrounded his first bid to govern Oyo State. He said millions of Nigerians, including traders, farmers, workers, youths and small-business owners, had a stake in the campaign.
“They may discount one candidate. But they cannot discount millions of Nigerians united behind a better future,” Makinde said, urging Nigerians to join the Reset Nigeria campaign and contribute ideas on how to improve the country.
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