Activist and lawyer Maduabuchi Idam has demanded that President Bola Tinubu either reverse the removal of the fuel subsidy or dismiss Taiwo Oyedele for insubordination, following Oyedele's announcement of a 30-day fuel price discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) filling stations nationwide.

Oyedele is Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Idam said: "Now that the Minister of Finance has admitted, through the proposed fuel price intervention, that measures are necessary to cushion the effects of hardship on Nigerians, can President Tinubu now reverse the fuel subsidy removal or sack the Minister for insubordination?"

He framed the situation as a test of policy credibility, arguing that Tinubu faces a clear choice with no comfortable middle ground.

Idam questions Tinubu over fuel subsidy

The lawyer pressed the presidency on whether the implications of ending the subsidy were fully assessed before the decision was taken.

Idam said: "What the Finance Minister has communicated to the Nigerian public, through the fuel price intervention, is that the consequences of fuel subsidy removal have become so severe that government intervention is now necessary.

"It raises a fundamental question: was the policy well thought out and its consequences thoroughly considered before implementation, or is the government now struggling to manage the fallout from a decision it is reluctant to reverse?"

He called on Tinubu to explain why the NNPCL discount does not contradict his position that removing the subsidy serves Nigeria's best interest.

Idam demands Tinubu’s apology to Nigerians

Furthermore, Idam said if President Tinubu views Oyedele's fuel price action as a breach of executive direction, he must own the contradiction and address Nigerians directly.

"If he considers the Minister's action an act of insubordination, then he should take responsibility for his position. Otherwise, an apology to Nigerians has become urgent," he said.

He warned citizens against what he described as policy decisions driven more by the fear of electoral defeat in 2027 than by a sincere effort to ease economic suffering.

"Leadership is not about defending a policy at all costs; it is about having the courage to admit when a policy is failing the people and the humility to change course," Idam added.

The subsidy removal, announced on May 29, 2023, by President Tinubu in his inauguration speech, triggered a sharp rise in fuel prices and has since drawn sustained criticism over its effect on the cost of living for ordinary Nigerians.