2027: “We’ll Bring Back Fuel Subsidy, Create Jobs” — Former Legislator Unveils ADC Economic Plan

CROSS RIVER, CALABAR — With rising transport costs squeezing households and businesses across Nigeria, African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Cross River State, Nkoyo Esu Toyo, has promised to restore fuel subsidy if elected, alongside a production-led economic strategy aimed at creating jobs and reducing the cost of living.

Toyo made the pledge on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the ADC Cross River State chapter’s inaugural strategic campaign planning meeting and media interaction at the party secretariat in Calabar.

The former member of the House of Representatives and ex-Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti attributed part of the economic hardship confronting Nigerians, including Cross River residents, to the removal of fuel subsidy by the present government.

She said an ADC administration would reverse the policy and restore the subsidy as part of measures to reduce transportation costs and ease pressure on households and businesses.

According to Toyo, the subsidy removal had contributed to the hardship experienced across Cross River State and Nigeria, particularly through higher transportation costs and declining purchasing power.

She, however, said subsidy restoration would form only part of a broader economic programme centred on production, manufacturing, employment, exports and social protection.

Toyo said the ADC would seek to move Nigeria away from what she described as a consumption-driven economy towards one that produces goods for domestic consumption and international markets.

She argued that economic recovery should not be judged solely by headline economic statistics but by whether ordinary Nigerians could afford transportation and basic necessities, while businesses remained viable.

The ADC candidate identified transportation as a critical component of the cost-of-living crisis, arguing that reducing the cost of moving people and goods would have broader implications for prices, household purchasing power and economic activity.

She said increased domestic production would create employment opportunities, strengthen local businesses and expand Nigeria’s capacity to generate export earnings.

Advocated stronger social protection and fiscal responsibility, Toyo said economic growth should translate into improved living standards and wider access to opportunities.

She called for greater decentralisation of political and economic power, arguing that development should not remain concentrated in Abuja but should extend to Nigeria’s regions and different levels of government.

The former federal lawmaker linked the proposal to constitutional reform and fiscal federalism, saying more responsibilities and resources should be devolved to subnational governments to enable them respond more effectively to local needs.

Toyo further advocated stronger institutional autonomy, saying that constitutional democracy would function more effectively when public institutions exercised their responsibilities without undue concentration of power.

Truth Live News reports that she identified technology, information and intelligence systems as important tools for improving government planning, economic management and public-sector decision-making.

According to her, governments require reliable information about citizens and economic conditions to formulate policies capable of addressing the challenges confronting the population.

Toyo also presented the ADC as an alternative political force, adding the party intended to offer Nigerians a different approach to economic management and governance.

She said the proposed agenda would target poverty, unemployment, high living costs and what she described as an uneven distribution of economic opportunities.

The promise to restore fuel subsidy is likely to become a significant issue in the ADC’s campaign, given the close relationship between fuel prices, transportation costs and household expenditure.

However, the proposal also raises questions about its fiscal implications, including the cost of restoring the subsidy, its funding mechanism and how an ADC government would prevent the policy from creating the financial pressures it seeks to alleviate.

Toyo’s intervention came as the ADC Cross River chapter began preparations for its wider political campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.

A lawyer, development activist and politician, Toyo previously served in the Nigerian House of Representatives and as Nigeria’s ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti.

She also co-founded Gender and Development Action (GADA), an organisation focused on expanding women’s access to economic and political opportunities.

The ADC’s economic and governance proposals are expected to form part of the issues the party will present to Cross River voters as the 2027 campaign gathers momentum.