Peter Obi Vows to Crack Down on “Criminality” in Oil Sector, Calls Fuel Subsidy “Organised Crime”

Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, has vowed that his administration would not tolerate any form of criminality in the management of the country’s resources if elected president in 2027.

Obi made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV, where he strongly criticised Nigeria’s fuel subsidy regime, describing it as a deeply entrenched system of economic abuse.

The former presidential candidate said the scale of fuel consumption in Nigeria does not reflect real demand patterns, insisting that official figures raise serious questions about accountability in the downstream oil sector.

“Subsidy is organized crime and I won’t allow any form of criminality as the President of Nigeria. The amount of fuel they say we consume cannot be consumed by this country, there’s empirical evidence,” Obi said.

He argued that Nigeria’s fuel usage appears inconsistent when compared with countries of similar size and infrastructure demands, citing Pakistan as an example.

“We are about the same as Pakistan, they have more roads and we probably have the same number of vehicles or they have even more yet their fuel consumption is a third of ours, so who is drinking the balance?” he asked.

Obi’s comments add to the long-running national debate over fuel subsidy removal and its economic impact, particularly on inflation and the cost of living.

During the 2023 presidential election campaign, Obi and other major candidates had pledged to remove fuel subsidies, a position that aligned with widespread economic reform discussions at the time.

However, President Bola Tinubu announced the immediate removal of the subsidy during his inauguration at Eagle Square in Abuja, a decision that has since reshaped Nigeria’s fuel pricing system and broader economic policy direction.

Obi’s latest remarks are expected to further intensify political debate ahead of the 2027 elections, especially on issues of transparency, energy policy, and public sector accountability.