The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the Federal Government to move beyond the debate over fuel subsidy removal and ensure that the policy’s gains translate into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
President of PENGASSAN, Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro, made the call while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday.
According to him, the debate over whether the subsidy should have been removed is no longer relevant, stressing that attention should now be focused on ensuring that Nigerians begin to experience the benefits of the policy.
“I think the argument over whether to remove the subsidy or not to remove it is belated now. We have done it, but we need to start seeing the benefits of fuel subsidy removal in the lives of common Nigerians,” Olabiyi-Agoro said.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, shortly after assuming office. The policy triggered a sharp increase in the price of petrol, which has risen from about ₦200 per litre at the time to roughly ₦1,300 per litre.
The development has been widely linked to the rising cost of living, with opposition figures and critics of the administration continuing to question the policy more than three years after its implementation.
Some political opponents, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have pledged to reverse the subsidy removal if elected, while the Federal Government has maintained that there will be no return to the subsidy regime.
Speaking on the impact of the policy, Olabiyi-Agoro acknowledged that subsidy removal had been painful, particularly for workers and low-income Nigerians.
He said the policy “became extremely hard on Nigerians and workers,” but maintained that the country must now ensure that improvements in key economic indicators are reflected in the daily lives of citizens.
The PENGASSAN president noted that Nigeria recorded a 4.43 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the second quarter of 2026, alongside improvements in other macroeconomic indicators.
However, he argued that such figures would have limited meaning if they failed to translate into greater access to food, improved purchasing power and better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
“What we are advocating for at the moment is that we want to see that translate into what is going to help a common man and not just the things that we see in figures,” he said.
Olabiyi-Agoro acknowledged that indicators such as GDP growth, the balance of trade and foreign exchange reserves were positive developments, but stressed that Nigerians needed to feel the impact beyond economic statistics.
“Yes, those figures are good. We can relate to some of them. The GDP is getting better; the balance of trade, things like our reserves in terms of forex, all those things are positive, but we want to see positive things in the lives of common Nigerians,” he said.
He also said workers were prepared to contribute their quota to strengthening the economy and supporting whichever government was in power.
The PENGASSAN president further attributed the improvement in the availability of petroleum products to the removal of the subsidy, saying the government was no longer setting aside funds for subsidising petrol.
“From the moment there was no budget for subsidy again up until now, we believe that we are buying products at their right prices without the government putting in a subsidy, so I think we’ve left one side of that argument on whether to remove subsidy or not,” Olabiyi-Agoro said.
