30-day petrol discount: CISLAC demands answers on N1,350 price cap, subsidy savings

• says temporary relief cannot address rising transport fares, food prices

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has challenged the Federal Government to account for savings from petrol subsidy removal, demanding transparency over its proposed 30-day petrol discount and the ₦1,350 per litre price ceiling.

The organisation said Nigerians deserved to know who would finance the discount, its total cost and what would happen when the 30-day period expired.

CISLAC’s Executive Director and head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said temporary price interventions could not replace lasting solutions to the country’s cost-of-living crisis.

In a statement, Rafsanjani said the government must take responsibility for the economic hardship Nigerians continue to face, including rising transportation costs, food prices, business closures and declining purchasing power.

He said Nigerians had endured significant sacrifices following petrol subsidy removal, but the promised benefits remained largely invisible to struggling households.

“Government must stop presenting short-term interventions as major economic achievements when millions of citizens are still unable to afford basic necessities,” he said.

CISLAC also demanded clarification on the actual pump price Nigerians would pay under the proposed arrangement and how the discount would translate into lower transportation fares, food prices and the cost of essential commodities.

The organisation asked the government to disclose how much had been realised from subsidy removal, where the savings had gone, who had benefited and what measurable improvements had reached ordinary Nigerians.

It warned that without transparent financing, clear explanations and verifiable benefits to consumers, the intervention could become another temporary measure that fails to address the underlying economic challenges.

CISLAC urged the Federal Government to tackle what it described as key drivers of economic hardship, including corruption, excessive governance costs, wasteful public expenditure, weak accountability and policies that undermine businesses and livelihoods.

It called for cuts in unnecessary government spending, stronger domestic production, improved electricity supply, affordable transportation and measures to protect vulnerable households.

According to the organisation, the government must demonstrate the same financial discipline and willingness to make sacrifices that it demands from citizens.

“It is unacceptable for ordinary Nigerians to continue paying the price of economic reforms while political officeholders remain largely insulated from their consequences,” the statement said.

CISLAC maintained that the success of economic reforms should be measured by sustained reductions in living costs, improved livelihoods and accountable management of public resources, rather than temporary discounts.

It urged the government to prioritise citizens’ welfare and ensure that economic interventions produce tangible and lasting relief.

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