Three years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stunned Nigeria with his now-famous declaration that “fuel subsidy is gone,” Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed a startling detail behind one of the most consequential decisions in modern Nigerian history.
According to Shettima, the subsidy removal was never included in Tinubu’s prepared inaugural speech.
Not because it was an afterthought.
Not because it was a mistake.
But because Tinubu intentionally kept it secret.
Why Tinubu Kept Nigerians Guessing
Speaking during a gathering of state governors at the President’s Lagos residence to mark Eid-el-Kabir and the administration’s third anniversary, Shettima disclosed that Tinubu deliberately concealed the plan to avoid pressure from powerful interests.
According to the Vice President, the President feared that once the decision became public before inauguration, influential individuals would mobilise to stop him.
“Your Excellency, the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, you kept it a top secret,” Shettima said.
“It wasn’t part of your speech. You had made that decision and kept it close to your heart because you believed that if you had incorporated it into your speech, some people would try to persuade you not to do so.”
The revelation offers a rare glimpse into the calculations that preceded one of the most controversial economic announcements in Nigeria’s democratic history.
The Decision That Changed Everything
On May 29, 2023, moments after taking the oath of office, Tinubu announced the immediate end of the fuel subsidy regime.
The statement sent shockwaves across the country.
Within days, fuel prices skyrocketed.
Transportation costs surged.
Food prices climbed.
Businesses struggled to adjust.
For millions of Nigerians, life became significantly more expensive almost overnight.
While supporters argued the subsidy had become unsustainable and riddled with corruption, critics blamed the decision for worsening the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
Three years later, the debate remains far from settled.
Courage Or Calculated Gamble?
Defending the President’s actions, Shettima described the subsidy removal as an example of bold leadership rather than political recklessness.
He portrayed Tinubu as a leader willing to make painful decisions that previous administrations avoided.
According to him, true leadership is not about popularity but about making difficult choices for the future.
The Vice President praised what he called Tinubu’s “courage,” “audacity of hope,” and willingness to challenge decades-old economic structures.
But critics may interpret the revelation differently.
For many Nigerians still battling inflation and economic hardship, the disclosure raises uncomfortable questions.
Should a policy capable of transforming the lives of millions have been kept secret until the very last moment?
Or was secrecy necessary to prevent vested interests from derailing reform?
“Nigeria Needed Surgery”
Beyond the subsidy issue, Shettima argued that Tinubu inherited a nation burdened by deep structural problems.
According to him, the country needed more than cosmetic adjustments.
It needed radical intervention.
Using vivid imagery, the Vice President said Tinubu inherited a house whose foundations were already weakening.
Rather than applying temporary fixes, he claimed the President chose to rebuild from the ground up.
“You did not come to power at a season of ease,” Shettima said.
“You inherited a nation trapped between the comfort of old illusions and the necessity of a new beginning.”
Reform Or Hardship? Nigerians Remain Divided
The Tinubu administration continues to defend its economic reforms as necessary sacrifices for long-term stability.
Government officials frequently point to increased government revenues, infrastructure investments and economic restructuring as evidence that the policies are working.
Yet many ordinary Nigerians continue to measure success differently.
For them, the questions remain painfully simple.
Is food more affordable?
Are jobs easier to find?
Has daily life improved?
Can families survive without constantly struggling?
The answers to those questions often differ depending on who is asked.
After Three Years
Perhaps the most striking part of Shettima’s revelation is not that Tinubu removed the subsidy.
Nigerians already knew that.
It is that one of the most impactful economic decisions in recent history was intentionally shielded from public knowledge until the exact moment it became irreversible.
Supporters call it courage.
Critics may call it secrecy.
History will eventually decide which description fits best.
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But three years later, one thing remains undeniable: The decision continues to define Tinubu’s presidency, shape Nigeria’s economy and influence the daily lives of millions of citizens struggling to determine whether the promised rewards of reform will ever fully arrive.