Speaking during an intense media exchange with prominent broadcast journalist Rufai Oseni on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the former Anambra State Governor emphasized that his frequent critiques of the current administration are not aimed at the economic policy itself, but rather at the chaotic manner in which it was executed by President Bola Tinubu.
Responding directly to Oseni's question regarding what he would have done differently to navigate the fiscal crisis, Obi firmly rejected the narrative that he opposes deregulation.
Instead, he painted a picture of an alternative governance model built on strategic planning rather than spontaneous executive decrees. “I didn't criticize Tinubu for removing the subsidy. I said I would have removed it, but in an organized manner," Obi clarified.
"I wouldn't have announced it at my inauguration. I would have first sat down with operators in the industry because we know there is a lot of criminality around the subsidy.”
According to the opposition leader, a successful economic transition required an administrative sequence that tackles institutional corruption before adjusting market prices.
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Obi argued that by rushing the announcement on day one without structural safety nets or clear baseline data, the current administration failed to accurately determine the exact amounts being bleeding through corrupt channels.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the simultaneous handling of fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate deregulation has severely backfired on the local economy.
The politician concluded his critique by challenging the fiscal transparency of the current government, pointing out a troubling economic paradox: despite cutting the massive subsidy bill that supposedly drained the treasury, public debt has continued to skyrocket.
“Since the subsidy was removed, what has been the impact on the average Nigerian? We have even borrowed more money than we used to when subsidy was still in place,” Obi added, insisting that any economic reform is meaningless unless it aggressively fights corruption head-on to alleviate the suffering of the everyday citizen.
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