We expected riots, NGF chairman recalls anxiety over Tinubu’s subsidy removal

Nigerian governors were bracing for widespread riots and deployed security agencies across all states in anticipation of President Bola Tinubu's fuel subsidy removal. However, they were surprised when the policy, announced while they were abroad, did not trigger a single protest.

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We went into panic mode. I sent a message to my colleagues at the NGF and nobody wanted to hear that.

AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Kwara State Governor, revealed the extent of the governors' anxiety. He recounted learning about the subsidy removal from security officials while on a trip to China, with assurances that there was no turning back. This news sent the governors into a "panic mode," prompting them to seek an urgent meeting with President Tinubu to argue against the policy's implementation.

Despite their concerns, the governors' planned intervention during a dinner with Tinubu did not materialize. Abdulrazaq explained they were unable to raise the issue, possibly due to security reports the President had received. Returning to Nigeria, the governors advised each other to convene State Security Council meetings, fully expecting serious riots, as protests over lesser issues had occurred previously.

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We advised each other to convene State Security Council meetings because we were expecting serious riots, there had been riots over bad governance even before then, and over lesser issues.

Abdulrazaq attributed the public's calm reaction to shock at the "audacity of Mr. President to implement that serious policy." He noted that states, which previously struggled with meager allocations after salary payments, are now experiencing significant fiscal improvements. This has allowed states to reduce debt burdens and fund infrastructure projects without resorting to loans or bonds.

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I think the nation was shocked by the audacity of Mr. President to implement that serious policy.