Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Monday criticised opposition figure Peter Obi, saying the former Anambra State governor has nothing to offer Nigerians beyond quoting economic statistics.
Shettima made the remarks in Abuja while urging members of Nigeria’s economic community to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration and defending the removal of the petrol subsidy.
“I respect Peter Obi for having the courage to say he’s not going to restore the petrol subsidy, but beyond spouting some statistics, Mr Peter Obi has absolutely nothing to offer,” Shettima said.
He added that Obi “was surviving on various statistics” and called on economic experts to back the government.
“So, I call on you, the crème de la crème of the Nigerian economic community, to support us,” the vice-president said.
Shettima compared petrol prices in Nigeria with those in neighbouring countries to highlight the impact of previous fuel pricing policies.
“What is the price of fuel in our neighbouring communities? A few years ago, Nigeria was consuming around 67 million litres of fuel per day,” he said.
He stated that a litre of fuel costs approximately N1,148.36 in Niger Republic, N1,729.29 in Benin Republic and N1,945.50 in Cameroon, while it sells for N1,390 in Nigeria.
“The comparison is wide. Nigeria was Christmas for other African countries,” Shettima added.
The comments come amid ongoing debate over the petrol subsidy removal and preparations for the 2027 general elections. Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has frequently used economic data to criticise government policies.
The Federal Government removed the petrol subsidy in May 2023 after Tinubu took office. The administration has defended the move as necessary to ease the financial burden on public finances, while opposition figures have called for stronger measures to ease the impact on living costs.
