“We’re Doing Very Well” — Okpebholo Compares Nigeria, UK Fuel Prices, Backs Tinubu’s Second Term
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, insisting that Nigeria’s fuel prices remain lower than what obtains in the United Kingdom.
The governor spoke on Thursday at the “Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road” event in Edo State, where he urged Nigerians to exercise patience as the reforms take full effect.
Describing the reforms as tough but necessary, Okpebholo likened Nigeria’s current economic situation to an aircraft in flight, explaining that the real benefits would only show once the country reaches what he called a “cruising level.”
He drew a comparison with a flight’s seatbelt sign, noting that airlines only begin food service once a plane has stabilised in the air — a state he said Nigeria was steadily approaching.
On fuel prices specifically, Okpebholo said a recent trip to London pushed him to compare pump prices between Nigeria and the UK. He claimed that after currency conversion, a litre of fuel in the UK cost about N3,000, a figure he said proved Nigerians were paying less than their British counterparts.
He credited President Tinubu, an economist, with steering the reforms that he said were beginning to stabilise the economy.
The governor’s comments come at a time of continued public frustration over high petrol prices and rising cost of living following the removal of the fuel subsidy and subsequent price adjustments at the pump.
Okpebholo also cited ongoing federal road projects, including concrete pavement construction across the country, as further evidence of the administration’s commitment to infrastructure development.
He went further to endorse Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027, dismissing suggestions of a change in leadership by asking rhetorically whether the presidential seat at Aso Rock was vacant. He also cited a remark attributed to the Oba of Benin advising against changing “a working President.”
Okpebholo assured residents that both Edo State and the country at large were in safe hands, regardless of who succeeds Tinubu in the future.
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