Fuel subsidy in Nigeria - issues, challenges and the way forward
The Nigerian economy has been subsided in various ways for many years and this includes fuel, education, electricity, forex etc. Fuel subsidies began in the 1970s and became institutionalised in 1977, following the promulgation of the Price Control Act which made it illegal for some products (including petrol) to be sold above the regulated price.
While the concept of subsidy itself is noble, its administration in Nigeria has been plagued with serious allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
In June 2022, the Managing Director of NNPC Limited indicated that daily consumption of PMS had increased to over 103 million litres per day and that at least 58 million litres were being smuggled. This means that smugglers and other West African countries benefit more from fuel subsidy than Nigerians.
