The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has defended the removal of fuel subsidy, saying the policy largely benefited fuel cartels and wealthy Nigerians rather than ordinary citizens.
He argued that the subsidy regime disproportionately favoured households with multiple vehicles, while poorer Nigerians who owned no vehicles got little or nothing.
“Those who benefited most from subsidy were not the masses. It was the fuel cartels and the rich who consumed far more petroleum products,” he said.
According to the minister, some beneficiaries resisted the removal because they had built businesses around the subsidy system.
“When fuel subsidy was removed, did you think that they would fold their arms and be looking? No! They will fight back,” he stated.
Alake also rejected calls for the government to reverse the reforms, insisting that Nigeria needed policy consistency rather than another economic reset.
He also dismissed criticisms that the benefits of the country’s reforms had not reached ordinary Nigerians, saying some interventions were already producing direct and indirect benefits across different sectors.
He cited the student loan scheme as an example, saying students and families paying tertiary education fees could benefit from reduced financial pressure.
Alake urged journalists to subject political claims and government policies to deeper analysis rather than merely amplifying statements from political actors.
He called for constructive criticism and thorough background checks before publishing information, stressing that the media had a responsibility to provide the public with balanced and accurate information.
“When somebody gives me information, I take the case to do background checks,” he said, adding that identifying gaps in information helped him determine how to present and balance issues.
The minister also played down controversies surrounding the composition of the All Progressives Congress campaign council for the 2027 elections, describing it as an internal mechanism of the ruling party rather than an issue of direct concern to Nigerians.
According to him, the media should focus more on the party’s manifesto, policy proposals and campaign messaging than on the internal structure of its campaign council.
“The public requires what is the messaging of the campaign, what the manifesto, the policies, the projections and all that. Not the internal constitution of the campaign council,” he said.
Alake maintained that Nigeria’s development would require leaders with vision, knowledge and courage to implement policies capable of producing long-term benefits, even when such decisions attract resistance in the short term.
He urged Nigerians to judge political leaders by their records and tangible achievements in public office rather than promises made during election campaigns.
Alake, who spoke during an interactive session with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, said there was no shortcut to restructuring an economy that had been badly damaged by years of policy inconsistencies and reluctance by successive administrations to take difficult decisions.
According to him, previous governments were aware of the reforms required to correct the country’s economic challenges but often avoided them because of their potential political consequences.