2027: Don’t promise Nigerians what you can’t deliver, cleric tells politicians

A Kaduna-based Islamic scholar and former Special Adviser to two former governors of Kaduna State, Sheikh Haliru Maraya, has warned politicians seeking elective positions in the 2027 elections against making unrealistic promises to Nigerians for the sake of winning votes.

Maraya urged presidential candidates and other politicians to be honest with Nigerians about the country’s economic realities, saying leaders should tell citizens what the government could realistically achieve.

He spoke in Kaduna on Sunday while reacting to calls by some politicians for the return of fuel subsidy, which he said the country could no longer afford without worsening its economic crisis.

The cleric said politicians should resist the temptation to exploit Nigerians’ economic hardship by making promises they knew could not be fulfilled after assuming office.

“Presidential candidates should always tell people the truth. They should not deceive Nigerians simply because they want to win votes. God does not like lies and deception,” he said.

Maraya argued that Nigeria’s current economic situation could not sustain a return to the fuel subsidy regime, which he described as financially burdensome.

“At present, Nigeria’s economy, to be honest, cannot afford to continue paying fuel subsidies as it did in the past. If the subsidy is brought back, the economy could collapse within a short time, and the government may be unable to do other important things,” he said.

According to him, available estimates put Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption at between 47 million and 64 million litres, while the total cost of a litre, including refining, transportation, insurance and customs charges, was about N1,218.

He said returning to the subsidy regime would require the Federal Government to commit enormous resources that could otherwise be channelled into infrastructure and other development projects.

“If Nigeria takes on the cost of the subsidy as it did in the past, it would spend about N52.3bn every day. That would amount to about N1.6tn every month and more than N19tn every year,” Maraya said.

The Islamic scholar questioned where such funds would come from, particularly against the backdrop of the country’s N68.3tn 2026 budget.

He therefore urged politicians to consider the economic consequences of their campaign promises before making them to the electorate.

“People should not make promises they cannot fulfil simply because they want votes and political power. Later, such a person may come back and apologise to Nigerians, saying that they did not know how difficult the situation was,” he said.

Maraya said Nigeria needed leaders who would be courageous enough to tell citizens the truth about the state of the economy and take difficult decisions in the national interest.

“We Nigerians need leaders who will tell us the truth about the state of our economy and then take the right decisions concerning the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.

The cleric also appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the removal of the subsidy, arguing that resources previously committed to subsidising petrol could be redirected to development.

“We should be patient with the removal of the subsidy because the government was spending N52bn every day on it. The money saved can be used to carry out other development projects for the country and its people,” he said.

However, Maraya called on the Federal Government to prioritise the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s existing refineries and facilitate the establishment of new ones to reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products.

“We hope Nigerians will continue to be patient until our four refineries are repaired. We also hope that new refineries will be built in the future so that some of the problems we are facing in the country can be solved,” he said.

He acknowledged that Nigerians would prefer a smoother transition from subsidy removal but said the country’s economic circumstances required difficult decisions.

“We all prefer everything to go smoothly, but Allah did not make it happen that way,” Maraya said.

The former special adviser warned that restoring fuel subsidy without a sustainable financing plan could further strain public finances, weaken economic activity and affect government operations.

“If the fuel subsidy is brought back, within a short period, economic activities could come to a standstill and government operations could also be affected,” he said.