Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adams Oshiomhole, has recalled how he mobilised residents of Ogun State, including prominent individuals, to protest the planned removal of petrol subsidy during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oshiomhole, who is now the Senator representing Edo North, said his opposition to the policy at the time was driven by concerns that the Obasanjo administration lacked the infrastructure and mechanisms needed to ensure that the benefits of subsidy removal reached ordinary Nigerians.
The former Edo State governor disclosed this on Sunday while speaking at the seventh national discourse organised by The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, at the University of Lagos.
The event, themed “Nigeria’s Political Landscape and The Ethno-Religious Divides,” was chaired by former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, while Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, served as the special guest of honour.
Oshiomhole, who served as NLC president between 1999 and 2007 during Obasanjo’s administration, recalled travelling to Abeokuta to mobilise Ogun residents against the proposed subsidy removal.
He specifically mentioned Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, as one of the prominent individuals he mobilised to canvass opposition to the policy.
According to Oshiomhole, his objection was not necessarily to the removal of subsidy itself but to implementing the policy without adequate structures to ensure that the resulting savings were fairly distributed among Nigerians.
“He has the capacity to take, but he doesn’t have the enabling capacity to distribute it because certain infrastructure you need for such distribution are absent,” Oshiomhole said.
He added that the protest later spread beyond Ogun State, with workers and students of the University of Lagos joining the demonstrations.
“To prove this to the people, I got Ogun people, including Afolabi, to go on strike against Obasanjo. When we organised those protests, even the University of Lagos workers and the students joined us,” he recalled.
‘I Have Seen Them Now Speaking My Language’
Oshiomhole also reflected on the reactions of Nigerians who criticised his opposition to subsidy removal at the time, saying some of them have now become vocal about the impact of rising petrol prices.
He said the current economic realities had vindicated some of the concerns he raised during the Obasanjo administration.
“Now, everybody is saying, ‘I can’t pay N100,000 for one litre, how much is my salary?’ I have seen those who used to lecture me about wastage, diversion, better deployment of resources, I have seen them now speaking my language,” he said.
The senator, however, said he had moved on from the argument.
His comments come amid renewed debate over the economic impact of the petrol subsidy removal implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the management of the funds generated from the policy.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, had disclosed that the removal of the subsidy generated N15.8 trillion in resources for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
The development has continued to fuel debate among political actors and Nigerians over whether the policy should be retained, reversed or accompanied by stronger mechanisms for accountability and equitable distribution.
Oshiomhole Rejects Ethnic Politics
Speaking further on the theme of the conference, Oshiomhole argued that ethnicity should have no place in Nigeria’s democratic politics.
He maintained that poverty, hunger and deprivation affect Nigerians regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds and urged citizens to choose political leaders based on competence, ideas and values.
“In rejecting feudal rulership and opting for democracy, ethnicity should have no place, because the poor man from the West, North and South all have the same federal character,” he said.
“There is no difference between the hunger in the Yoruba man’s stomach and that of the one in Urhobo or in Auchi.”
The former governor also argued that ethnic groups should not be viewed as homogeneous, noting that every community has both privileged and disadvantaged individuals.
“In my view, there is no such thing as ethnic right because within every ethnic group, you have the oppressor and the oppressed. You have the good, the bad and the ugly. And you also have people of diverse religions. It is so in the North and South,” he said.
Oshiomhole further accused some ethnic and religious leaders of exploiting identity politics to gain political advantage.
He called for a democratic system where Nigerians would be judged by their ideas, values and ability to deliver rather than their ethnic or geographical backgrounds.
“My summary is this: we own Nigeria. The challenge we have now is how to demystify the ethnic thing, remove that shield, let everybody bear his father’s name. Let’s compete for power not on the basis of where you come but on the basis of the ideas and values you bring. That way, we will build a united country,” Oshiomhole said.
