The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has again faulted the removal of petrol subsidy, describing it as unconstitutional and harmful to citizens.

The group said Nigerians never gave broad-based consent for the policy before President Bola Tinubu announced its removal on May 29, 2023.

In a statement signed on Monday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA rejected the Federal Government’s position that there would be no return to the subsidy regime.

The association argued that the Presidency could not use the declaration of “no going back” to shut down legitimate debate over a policy with far-reaching effects on Nigerians.

It said repeated increases in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices had worsened inflation and reduced the purchasing power of citizens.

“Government cannot continue to impose unbearable energy costs on Nigerians while claiming that the subsidy debate is permanently settled,” HURIWA said.

According to the group, rising energy costs are also driving up transportation and food prices while placing greater pressure on workers, pensioners, businesses and low-income households.

HURIWA acknowledged the government’s claim that subsidy removal had generated substantial resources for the federation.

It cited the claim by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, that the policy generated N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.

Of the amount, N5.4 trillion reportedly accrued to the Federal Government, while N10.4 trillion was shared among states and local governments.

However, HURIWA questioned the extent to which ordinary Nigerians had benefited from the savings.

The association demanded verifiable evidence showing how the funds had improved transportation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, wages and social protection.

It also rejected arguments that restoring subsidy would create legal and fiscal complications or discourage investment in domestic refining.

HURIWA said such concerns should not override the welfare of citizens facing rising energy costs.

The group further said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for controlled intervention in the oil and gas sector deserved serious public scrutiny.

It maintained that Nigeria must protect vulnerable citizens while strengthening domestic refining and preventing corruption, smuggling and fiscal leakages.

HURIWA acknowledged the problems associated with the former subsidy system but said its removal without an effective alternative social protection mechanism had shifted the burden to ordinary Nigerians.

“Economic reforms cannot be sustainable when citizens are excluded from meaningful consultation and left to bear the heaviest burden of those reforms,” the association said.

HURIWA therefore called for an urgent review of the government’s energy pricing policy and measures to reduce energy costs without creating another avenue for corruption.

It also urged Nigerians to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, expression and protest when opposing policies they consider harmful to their welfare.

The association said the government should not expect citizens to accept permanent economic hardship simply because subsidy removal had been presented as an economic reform.

It maintained that citizens’ welfare must remain at the centre of every economic reform and that Nigerians deserve transparency on how subsidy savings are being used.