Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves praise and commendation rather than backlash for his decision to end the controversial fuel subsidy regime.
​Speaking during an interactive session with journalists and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Press Corps at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the party’s Secretariat media center in Abuja, Alake stated that previous administrations recognised the economic necessity of ending the subsidy, but repeatedly deferred the decision out of fear of public backlash and political expediency.
​”All the reforms and policies necessary to correct the distortions in Nigerian society were identifiable by previous governments,” Alake said.
“The only thing lacking was the courage to take those decisions. If a politician who should be sensitive to elections decided to take the bullets regardless of the consequences on his own political career on behalf of the nation, I think it is important for us to give commendation to whom it is due.”
​Alake, who also serves as the Director of Strategic Communications for the Tinubu 2027 APC Presidential Campaign, justified the administration’s stance, noting that the old subsidy regime primarily enriched oil cartels and smugglers while leaving state governments unable to pay salaries.
​The minister stressed that without the bold intervention initiated during President Tinubu’s May 29, 2023 inauguration, Nigeria’s fiscal situation would have led to total economic collapse, hyperinflation, and severe currency devaluation.
He added that the administration remains focused on steering funds liberated from the subsidy into regenerative infrastructure, health, and economic expansion.
