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Okonjo-Iweala Narrates Encounter With Ruthless Fuel Subsidy Cabal
This isn’t the first time the idea of petrol subsidy removal would be mooted. The Jonathan administration under which the incumbent Director General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, served as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy also had its fair share of mention in the saga.
In fact, former President Jonathan said at that time severally that fuel subsidy was unsustainable and tried unsuccessfully to remove it.
In a video that went viral last week, Okonjo-Iweala is seen narrating how she spearheaded efforts to scrap payment of questionable subsidies and how beneficiaries viciously fought back, culminating in her mother’s kidnapping and demand for her resignation.
She narrates in the video: “My second example has to do with a very specific one in my country, the clean-up of the fuel scarcity regime in 2012 during my second stay as Finance Minister.
“Nigeria has a physically challenging force of fuel regime, the country exports crude oil and imports fuel because their refineries are in a very bad shape and provides a subsidy for the refined oil as support.
“At the end of 2011, a total of N1.73tr, US $11b equivalent, was submitted as claims for subsidy by 143 marketers, who were importing the product.
“These numbers seemed horrendously large compared to what I had last when I was in government in 2006, which was close to $2b in subsidy.
“So, we decided to study these claims. We audited about $8.4b worth of claims and we found out $2.5b worth of fraud. That is, many of these marketers were trying to claim $2.5b fraudulently.
“With the full backing of the President and the Economic Team, we decided that we were not going to entertain these claims or to pay.
“The pressure from affected marketers was tremendous…not only to say we would not pay but also to say we would clean up the whole mechanism for the subsidy claims and put in place something more transparent, something clearer.
“This did not go down well with them. When we insisted on our position of non-payment and implementation of the new verification regime, these, and well-connected interests, were angered, and came to blame me personally for this.
“There were personal consequences. My 83-year-old mother, a retired professor of sociology, was kidnapped by four young men and held for five days.
“She was totally terrified. She asked them why she had been kidnapped and they told her ‘Because your daughter, the Finance Minister, refused to pay oil marketers their dues’.
“The kidnappers, negotiating with my brother, demanded my resignation, publicly; that I should go on television, publicly and announce my resignation and depart from the country as a condition for my mother’s release.
“Needless to say these were some of the worst days of my life. Imagine when you are in a position, you want your parents, all of whom are here with you today, and your relatives to be proud of you. You want to be a source of good for your family.
“You can imagine how I felt, sitting there and thinking, just because of trying to do something right. To implement a policy that was good for the country, to lead to the taking of my mother’s life. These were some of the worst days of my life.
“With my father’s support and the firm resolve of the President, we all decided I should not give in to the blackmailers and I refused to resign.
“Following a manhunt for my mother by security agencies, she was able to make a dramatic escape after five days in captivity, where she was only given water and half of a sausage roll.
“So, here with the well-justified clean up and reform of a policy, but implemented in a dangerous reform environment where the losers in the reform, where the entrenched vested interests decided to fight back to derail implementation.
“The decision not to resign was a very difficult and risky one but, as it turned out, it worked.
“But on my down days, I ask myself, what if it hadn’t? What if they had gone ahead and murdered my mother, as she overheard them planning to do with one of the handlers on the phone? Could I have justified trading firmness on policy and standing up to blackmailers, implementing a good policy for my mother’s life? What decision would you have made?”
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has restored bulk power supply to its Katampe 330kV Transmission Substation in Abuja following an earlier disruption caused by a fault on the Shiroro–Katampe 330kV Line 1.
The development was disclosed in a statement released by TCN management on Friday, October 9, 2026.
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According to the statement, bulk power supply was restored to the Katampe substation at 4:15 p.m. through the Gwagwalada–Katampe 330kV Line 1.
TCN explained that the Shiroro–Katampe 330kV Line 1 remains out of service due to a fault, necessitating the use of the Gwagwalada–Katampe line to restore supply to the substation.
The company also announced the suspension of planned maintenance work on the Gwagwalada–Katampe 330kV Line 1 to enable the line to continue supplying the Katampe substation.
The suspended maintenance work involved replacing defective line isolators and the associated earthing switch.
TCN apologised to electricity consumers in the affected areas for any inconvenience caused by the disruption and maintenance arrangements.
The Federal Government has warned politicians against making promises that could reverse Nigeria’s economic reforms, insisting that it will not restore fuel subsidy amid renewed debate over the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPC) petrol discount.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, saying the government would not bring back subsidies on petroleum products.
“This government is not bringing back subsidy on fuel products. We need to be clear,” Oyedele said.
ALSO READ: NNPC Petrol Discount: Oyedele Explains How Lower Margins Could Boost Profits
The minister also criticised politicians who, according to him, make promises to win elections without fully considering the implications of implementing them.
He suggested that some politicians make sweeping promises during election campaigns only to offer excuses when confronted with the realities of governance.
“I think I would pardon people who say all manner of things because they want to get elected. It’s almost like ‘whatever I need to say, when I get there, I’ll give excuses.’ But we have the data,” he said.
Oyedele added that he felt a personal responsibility not to remain silent about the economic realities known to the government or allow populist positions to push Nigeria in the wrong direction.
“I feel the personal responsibility that I cannot see what I see and keep quiet, or populism to move our country in the wrong direction,” he said.
NNPC Petrol Discount Sparks Fresh Subsidy Debate
The minister’s remarks come amid renewed debate over fuel subsidy following the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount at NNPC retail stations.
The initiative was introduced as a temporary measure to provide relief to Nigerians amid elevated global crude oil prices and concerns about the cost of petroleum products.
NNPC Retail had also announced a N66-per-litre petrol discount to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, with the offer scheduled to run until October 31, 2026, across its retail stations nationwide.
The company maintained that the discount was a customer-relief initiative and did not represent a return to the petroleum subsidy regime.
The distinction has become central to the debate, with the government insisting that temporary price relief at NNPC stations does not amount to restoring the subsidy policy abolished in May 2023.
The administration has maintained that the current arrangement differs from the former subsidy system, under which the government intervened to cover part of the cost of petrol.
FG Defends Economic Reforms
During the interview, Oyedele also referred to a World Bank update, saying the institution had acknowledged a reduction in poverty levels and increased spending on infrastructure, particularly roads.
He urged Nigerians not to reverse the progress he said had been made, arguing that the country was approaching a point where the benefits of ongoing reforms should begin to emerge.
The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has commenced a promotion exercise for 24,000 eligible staff as part of efforts to clear outstanding teachers’ promotions dating back to 2021.
The development was disclosed on Friday as the administration of Governor Uba Sani intensifies efforts to address promotion backlogs, recognise teachers’ years of service and improve staff welfare across the state.
The exercise covers outstanding promotions from 2021 to 2026 and is expected to provide eligible teachers and other staff with opportunities for career progression.
SEE ALSO: Kaduna Clears N18bn Pension Arrears, Raises Agric Funding to N100bn
According to the announcement, eligible personnel will undergo an assessment process, after which promotions will be implemented for those who successfully meet the requirements.
The initiative is part of efforts to strengthen the education sector by recognising the contributions of teachers and supporting their professional development.
The state government has emphasised the importance of investing in teachers, noting that a motivated and valued teaching workforce is essential to building a stronger education system.
The exercise is also expected to address long-standing staff concerns relating to career advancement within the state’s basic education sector.
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