Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has challenged the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Adedeji, to provide a balanced assessment of the economic impact of President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy.
Adedeji had appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he defended the subsidy removal and praised Tinubu’s economic reforms.
According to the NRS chairman, Nigeria could have spent more than N53 trillion on fuel subsidy if the policy had remained in place. He also claimed that the naira-to-dollar exchange rate could have risen to N3,500 to the dollar without Tinubu’s intervention.
Adedeji further stated that monthly allocations to state governments had increased by 530 percent, rising from about N700 billion to N4.5 trillion.
However, Oseni questioned the figures, arguing that the economic argument should also account for the financial burden inflation has placed on Nigerians.
Reacting in a post on X on Monday, the broadcaster asked the NRS boss to disclose how much Nigerians had effectively lost to inflation, which stood at 15.91 percent in June 2026.
“If the NRS chief says subsidy would have been over N50 trillion, can he also give us the revenue Nigerians lost to inflation? To balance the argument,” Oseni wrote.
Adedeji has recently faced criticism over comments attributed to him concerning President Tinubu’s lifestyle, including claims that the president treks to his office and eats only once a day.
The latest exchange has renewed debate over the economic impact of fuel subsidy removal, government revenue and the rising cost of living in Nigeria.
