President Bola Tinubu has insisted that Nigeria will not return to petrol subsidy, defending the policy’s removal and using the biblical story of Moses leaving Egypt to explain why his administration would not reverse course. The President spoke on Monday at Together till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy, an event organised by the […]

President Bola Tinubu has insisted that Nigeria will not return to petrol subsidy, defending the policy’s removal and using the biblical story of Moses leaving Egypt to explain why his administration would not reverse course.

The President spoke on Monday at Together till 2027: An Evening with Original City Boy, an event organised by the City Boy Movement and the Relax-Tinubu-Is-Fixing-Nigeria movement as part of efforts to support his 2027 re-election campaign.

Tinubu said he removed the subsidy on his first day in office because, according to him, Nigeria was heading towards bankruptcy and could no longer afford the payments. He maintained that the decision was necessary and that he had no regrets about taking it.

Drawing on the Bible and the Holy Quran, the President recalled how the Red Sea parted after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. He used the story to reject calls for Nigeria to return to the subsidy arrangement.

“You cannot ask Moses to go back to Egypt,” Tinubu said, insisting that the country would not reverse course. He also urged Nigerians to support his administration’s direction, arguing that the economy was growing steadily and that the country had a future to believe in.

His comments came amid debate over Atiku Abubakar’s promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027. Atiku has proposed a capped, audited production subsidy tied to domestic refining, while the Presidency has criticised the proposal as a return to a wasteful and financially burdensome system.

Tinubu called on young Nigerians to campaign across campuses, markets and villages, obtain their voter cards and participate in the January 16, 2027 presidential election. He said they were campaigning for their own future and urged them to communicate the government’s record and plans.

Vice President Kashim Shettima backed the President’s reforms, saying the economy could have collapsed without the difficult decisions taken by the administration. He acknowledged the hardship Nigerians had faced but argued that the situation could have been worse, citing economic growth and foreign reserves.

Tinubu also said more than one million students had received support through NELFUND under the Students Loan Act, which he signed in 2023. Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced plans to publish an audit of projects and interventions linked to Tinubu’s mandate, including their locations, values and implementation status.