Former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has stated that ordinary Nigerians are yet to experience any tangible relief or benefit from the removal of the petrol subsidy.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Akande argued that while the policy has generated higher revenues for the federal and state governments, the common citizen continues to bear the brunt of the economic burden.

"The decision of fuel subsidy, that was the decision that was taken at the Federal level, the president came and said that subsidy is gone," Akande said. "Now there is no more subsidy, there is money in the hands of the president and governors, but guess what, the people are not benefitting from the increased revenue".

Akande also raised concerns over the lack of accountability regarding past administration of the subsidy regime, questioning why perpetrators of long-standing subsidy scams have not been held accountable or brought to justice.

"The scam of the subsidy that has happened over the years which we all agreed is a scam, nobody has been called to pay for it, there is still impunity, no consequences, the poor and common Nigerians are still the ones holding the end of the stick", he added.

He challenged political parties across the spectrum—including the APC, PDP, and ADC—to move past rhetoric and demand transparency on how increased public revenues are deployed to alleviate citizen hardship.