Atiku’s aide slams Tinubu’s minister over ‘cheap petrol’ claims

Paul Ibe, media aide to the ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has criticized Oil Minister Heineken Lokpobiri over his assertion that petrol is cheaper in Nigeria than in the United States. Ibe argued that nominal pump prices do not accurately reflect affordability without taking into account income and purchasing power.

His comments followed Lokpobiri's defense of Nigeria's petrol pricing during an interview on television. Lokpobiri had stated that the country could not arbitrarily reduce petrol prices to N1,000, N800 or N700 per litre as crude oil and refined petroleum products are traded on the global market. Ibe pointed out that the real question is not the price difference between America and Nigeria but whether a litre of petrol is affordable when considering Nigeria's broader cost of living.

He stated that Nigerians spend a large portion of their income on food, transportation, rent, electricity and healthcare, leaving little room for higher petrol prices. Ibe also linked petrol costs to economic pressures, noting that increases in fuel prices can impact the cost of food, transportation and production due to Nigeria's heavy reliance on road transportation and generators.