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Why Buhari Threatened To Sack Me Over Fuel Subsidy Removal – Ex-Petroleum Minister

BySodiq Lawal

PublishedSeptember 9, 2025

A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has disclosed how former President Muhammadu Buhari threatened to relieve him of his duties if his attempt to remove fuel subsidy during the last administration backfired.

Kachikwu, who served as minister from 2016 to 2019, stated this while speaking at a virtual business mentorship lecture series organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on Monday.

According to him, the persistent fuel queues that paralysed economic activities nationwide in 2015 were his greatest challenge when he assumed office as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

“The greatest challenge I had when I resumed as GMD was the issue of long queues at petrol stations. Very few Nigerians realise how traumatic it was to wake up and see the entire country grounded,” he said.

Kachikwu recalled how he spent nights without sleep, visiting filling stations in an attempt to ease the crisis, only to discover that much of the subsidised petrol was being smuggled across the nation’s borders.

“When I did my investigations, it became clear that the products we were bringing in at subsidised rates were crossing the borders. No matter how much I worked with customs and other agencies, it never stopped. The position did not have the political or security resources to police Nigeria’s borders,” he explained.

The former minister said he approached Buhari several times to approve an upward review of pump prices but was met with resistance because of the President’s populist stance.

“I went to the President many times and said, ‘Look, I need to move up on price.’ He resisted very strongly because of his populist-type position. Eventually, he said, ‘Okay, I’ll leave you to take the risk. If it works, fine. If it doesn’t, I will fire you.’ That was all well and good for me. And I did,” Kachikwu stated.

He revealed that he introduced a policy of “price modulation,” which allowed petrol prices to reflect international market realities. The slight adjustment, he said, eliminated subsidy and cleared fuel queues nationwide within 48 hours.

“That singular adjustment removed the subsidy. Within 48 hours, every queue in the country disappeared. It never happened again until I left office. The government also began earning more money,” he added.

Kachikwu noted that he also refused to pay billions of naira in subsidy arrears inherited from previous administrations, insisting that many of the claims were unverifiable.

“We didn’t pay the arrears of subsidy because my position was that I could not audit the transparency of the claims. I preferred not to deal with those issues,” he maintained.

Turning to the present administration, Kachikwu said subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu was inevitable, but argued that it should have been implemented with accompanying measures to cushion the impact.

He said, “Subsidy removal was bound to happen, but there should have been clear plans for refineries, infrastructure, transport systems, and support for oil-producing communities. Without these, the burden weighs heavily on ordinary Nigerians.”

The former minister stressed that Nigeria’s energy future required tough decisions, but added that such choices must be complemented with strategies to safeguard the welfare of citizens.

Sodiq Lawal

Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.