Sep 9, 2026

Adebayo Challenges Tinubu: Where Is Subsidy Money? Come Out and Account for It

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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Abuja, Nigeria—September 9, 2026—Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo has launched a direct challenge at President Bola Tinubu, demanding answers on the whereabouts of funds linked to the removal of fuel subsidy and other major government programmes.

In a strongly worded address that has circulated widely on social media, Adebayo asked, “Tinubu, where is the subsidy money? Come out of hiding and account for it.”

He expanded the call into a broader demand for accountability, questioning the utilization of resources generated since the 2023 subsidy removal, the trillions allocated to security, progress on compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion, and the state of electricity supply.

“Anyone who wants to keep his job should be able to answer his bosses,” Adebayo declared. “Where have you been in the past four years?

What have you been doing? Where is the money? Where is the money you saved from subsidies that never existed? Where are the trillions for security? Where is the CNG? Where is the electricity?”

Blueprint for a New Nigeria

The remarks came as Adebayo unveiled his policy document titled Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity: Governance and Accelerated Development — Blueprint of a New Nigeria, 2027–2031.

He insisted that four years is sufficient for a determined government to deliver meaningful change and argued that Nigerians deserve a clear accounting of results before another election cycle.

Central to his proposals is an ambitious electricity target of 75,000 megawatts generated from Nigeria’s own resources.

He also pledged to revive the country’s four public refineries and establish 36 modular refineries while creating conditions for private investors to build additional capacity and export refined products.

On fuel pricing, Adebayo projected that petrol, cooking gas, and Jet A1 could be brought down to around ₦200 per litre under a different domestic refining and pricing regime.

Context of the Subsidy Debate

Adebayo has long maintained that Nigeria’s fuel subsidy debate has been poorly framed. He argues that subsidy is essentially a government accounting mechanism rather than a physical commodity and that removing it without securing a reliable domestic supply of refined products has imposed severe hardship.

Government officials, including Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele, have previously stated that subsidy removal generated approximately ₦15.8 trillion in additional resources for the Federation Account between mid-2023 and the end of 2025, with portions shared to states and local governments and applied to wages, debt service, and infrastructure.

Opposition voices and civil society groups have repeatedly called for clearer, project-by-project transparency on how those savings and related allocations have translated into visible improvements in living standards, security, and energy access.

Rising Political Temperature Ahead of 2027

Adebayo’s challenge intensifies the early contest for the 2027 presidential election. He has urged Nigerians to scrutinize the record of the current administration and to reject any further four years of what he describes as continued hardship.

The SDP candidate has also linked insecurity to broader failures in economic management, promising that a new government could significantly reduce banditry and related threats within a four-year term if it prioritizes both security and opportunity.

As the video of his remarks continues to spread, the demand for a public debate places pressure on the presidency to respond with detailed explanations of results achieved under the Renewed Hope agenda.

Whether Tinubu or his team will accept the invitation remains to be seen, but the questions Adebayo has posed—on money, results, and accountability—are now firmly part of the national conversation.