Obi Challenges Tinubu to Account for ₦15.8tn Subsidy Savings, $100bn Borrowing

• Obi challenges Tinubu to account for ₦15.8tn in reported subsidy savings and over $100bn in borrowing, questioning their impact on Nigerians’ lives.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain how his administration has used the ₦15.8 trillion reportedly saved from petrol subsidy removal, alongside more than $100 billion in borrowing and increased government revenue.

Obi made the demand in an open letter titled “Good Day, Mr President: Nigerians Deserve Accountability,” following Tinubu’s visit to Akwa Ibom State.

The former Anambra State governor said Nigerians deserved to know how the resources available to the government had translated into improvements in their living conditions.

Obi urges Tinubu to visit more states

Obi congratulated the President on spending a night outside Lagos and Abuja and urged him to extend such visits to other states.

He said the visits should provide opportunities for Tinubu to engage directly with citizens and explain his administration’s management of public funds.

“I sincerely hope this visit will inspire you to travel to the remaining 33 states of the federation, spend time with the people and, more importantly, explain what your administration has done with the ₦15.8 trillion saved from the removal of fuel subsidy, the over $100 billion you have borrowed, the increased revenues accruing to the government from taxing Nigerians, and the additional government revenues which your administration celebrated last year as having surpassed its target”, he wrote.

The figures concerning subsidy savings and borrowing formed part of Obi’s demands for an explanation from the President.

Questions over poverty, schools and healthcare

Obi asked Tinubu to disclose how many Nigerians had been lifted out of poverty since his administration took office.

He also sought figures on the number of out-of-school children returned to classrooms and the functional primary healthcare centres established under the administration.

His questions focused on whether increased public resources had produced measurable benefits in communities, particularly in access to education, healthcare and essential services.

Electricity and security also under scrutiny

The NDC candidate further questioned the government’s performance on electricity supply, recalling Tinubu’s earlier promise that Nigerians should not vote for him if he failed to fix the power sector.

Obi asked the President to explain the extent of improvements in electricity and national security, saying citizens deserved answers about how government spending had affected their daily lives.

He maintained that accountability, transparency and measurable improvements in citizens’ welfare should guide public leadership and form the foundation of a new Nigeria.