“Subsidy is organised crime, won’t allow any form of criminality as President of Nigeria” — Peter Obi
Former presidential candidate and Labour Party figure, Peter Obi, has sparked fresh nationwide debate after a viral video resurfaced in which he described Nigeria’s fuel subsidy system as “organised crime” and questioned the country’s fuel consumption figures.
In the video circulating widely on social media, Obi argued that the subsidy regime lacks transparency and suggested that Nigeria’s reported fuel usage does not align with economic realities and comparative data from similar countries.
Subsidy controversy and fuel consumption claims
In the strongly worded remarks, Peter Obi said: “Subsidy is organised crime. I will not allow any form of criminality as president of Nigeria. Hey, the amount of fuel they say we consume cannot be consumed by this country.
There is an empirical evidence. We are about the same size as Pakistan. We are about 210, 220. Pakistan is about the same size. They have more roads.
We probably have same number of vehicles or they have even more. Yet, their fuel consumption is a third of ours. So who is drinking the balance?”
Watch the video here…
“Subsidy is organized crime. I will not allow any form of criminality as President of Nigeria. The amount of fuel they say we consume cannot be consumed by this country”- Former ADC Presidential candidate, Peter Obi pic.twitter.com/ZjH7Ld9Bg4
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) April 1, 2026
Public reactions trail viral remarks
The video has triggered mixed reactions online, with supporters and critics weighing in on his claims and broader economic arguments.
Winsome wrote: “It is clear now that removing subsidies is not enough to save our economy. But after removing subsidies, what measures are put in place to effectively manage the resources to directly benefit the Nigerian people?
My presidential candidate has a clear plan for Nigeria’s economy and how he intends to manage it to benefit every citizen of this country.”
Mantra wrote: “This is why they don’t want him in AsoRock cos they know if he gets there, he is definitely coming for everyone of them!
They don’t mind D country burn to the ground jst as long as this man doesn’t become President + if they had something on him they would have brought him down.”
Kingstonpk wrote: “Purely organised crime. That’s the same reason they dont want a refinery to work in Nigeria.”