Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has criticized the removal of the fuel subsidy, asserting that the policy has failed to deliver relief to Nigerians and has instead worsened poverty, hunger, inflation, and insecurity.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Thursday, December 18, 2025, Dalung said the subsidy removal, announced by President Bola Tinubu in May 2023 with the famous declaration that “subsidy is gone,” has not benefited ordinary citizens as promised.
“Granted the subsidy has been removed, but it was done in a way that showed the President did not fully understand the workings of government or the complexities of Nigeria,” Dalung said.
“There was no proper consultation. At that time, there was no functioning government, only the President and Vice President were in office. A decision of this magnitude required input from a cabinet, advisers, and policymakers, but that did not happen.”
“One person decided, and Nigerians were expected to accept it, hoping for good outcomes. Many years later, nothing positive has come of it, only poverty, hunger, inflation, and insecurity.”
Dalung further accused the Tinubu administration of failing to account for the billions of naira generated from subsidy removal, insisting that Nigerians should have seen a higher standard of living.
“Since the entire subsidy was withdrawn, citizens should be living better than people in Dubai, given the enormous revenues that flowed into government coffers,” he said.
He also raised concerns about government borrowing, claiming that since 2023, the Tinubu administration’s debt has already doubled the amount borrowed during President Muhammadu Buhari’s entire eight-year tenure.
Dalung’s remarks come amid growing public criticism over rising living costs and insecurity in the country, as citizens continue to feel the effects of the subsidy removal.
