A viral video showing two Nigerian men arguing over fuel subsidy removal and the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on citizens has sparked a debate on social media.
The two men expressed sharply different opinions about Nigeria’s economic situation, with one urging Nigerians to examine the facts surrounding the subsidy policy and government revenue, while the other criticised the administration over the rising cost of living and the growing hardship faced by citizens.
Their discussion touched on the history of fuel subsidy removal, how the revenue generated from the policy is distributed among the three tiers of government, and the responsibility of elected officials to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
During the discussion, one of the men argued that the decision to remove fuel subsidy was not entirely a new policy introduced by Tinubu’s administration.
He claimed that the previous administration, led by former President Muhammadu Buhari, had already laid the groundwork for the policy but failed to implement it before leaving office.
He said:
“I’m not trying to support the government, I’m just trying to move with facts, right. The Buhari administration had already taken out subsidy. If you remember the Petroleum Proliferation Act was supposed to come into existence six months after their government and that law itself talked about removal of subsidy.
“But the government of Buhari exhibited cowardice by not implementing it in their government and they brought it over to the next government.”
The man also argued that the revenue generated following the removal of fuel subsidy had been distributed among the federal, state and local governments.
According to him, Nigerians should look beyond the federal government and demand accountability from their respective state governments regarding how the additional funds are being spent.
He added:
“Then lastly I will say this, right, let’s go online, make research and articulate based on facts. The subsidy removed, the funds that the government generated from subsidy removal today, they have split it between the three tiers of government.
“The question you should be asking is, what is your state government doing with the money they are getting?”
The other man disagreed with his position, insisting that the hardship experienced by Nigerians should not be overlooked while discussing government policies.
He argued that the country had struggled with economic and governance challenges under previous administrations, including that of former President Goodluck Jonathan. However, he maintained that the current administration had also failed to meet the expectations of many Nigerians.
He said:
“Sometimes we always talk as if we’ve lost our humanity. Before Buhari came, even since Jonathan, this country has been a mess, right.
“Even since Jonathan, the country has been a mess. The last time the country has been a reasonable country was when Ambassador was there. Not really as if Ambassador was even doing something extra like that, right.”
The man also recalled the widespread calls for political change during Jonathan’s administration, which eventually led to the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the ruling party in 2015.
He argued that political parties should have clear policies and a defined vision for the country before seeking the mandate of the electorate.
According to him, Nigerians supported the call for change because they expected the incoming administration to deliver better governance and improve their standard of living.
He said:
“Jonathan came, everybody was clamouring for change. They got the change which your current president championed. If I was the head of everything that time, they strategised the whole game.
“Meaning that before you can strategise a game with somebody, your party must have a blueprint. You guys must have a philosophy that guides your party. You don’t just belong to any useless party all in the name of you want to play games with people’s life, right.”
The second speaker further criticised the APC, arguing that the party had failed to fulfil the promises it made to Nigerians after spending eight years in power under Buhari.