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By 247ureports.com
A video circulating online shows Senator Adams Oshiomhole reacting angrily to an interviewer who asked why he mobilised the country against fuel price increases of about ₦3 to ₦7 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yet now supports President Bola Tinubu, under whom petrol sells for around ₦1,400 per litre.
The Exchange
According to a report on the clip, the interviewer pointed out that Oshiomhole, then president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led resistance to the Obasanjo-era increases, and asked how he reconciles that with his backing of Tinubu amid far higher prices. Oshiomhole appeared agitated during the exchange, which has drawn fresh attention to his changing position on fuel pricing. 247ureports.com could not establish when or where the interview took place, or which outlet recorded it, and has not independently verified the clip. The figures of ₦3 to ₦7 and ₦1,400 are those put forward by the interviewer and the social media post.
A Note of Caution
Readers should treat viral political clips with care. In September, fact-checkers at FactCheckHub found that a widely shared “raw interview” supposedly showing Oshiomhole and Peter Obi trading words over the fuel subsidy was fabricated, edited to look like a real exchange and flagged as AI-generated. There is no suggestion the present video is manipulated, but its origin has not been confirmed.
His Record and His Explanation
Oshiomhole’s record as NLC president is well documented. During Obasanjo’s first term, the NLC called several general strikes over fuel price increases, with Oshiomhole as its most visible voice. A 2004 report described him as Obasanjo’s most vocal opponent, as the union shut down banks, businesses and public services in Lagos in a four-day warning strike.
He has also explained his position publicly more than once. Speaking at a national discourse at the University of Lagos last month, he said he had opposed the Obasanjo subsidy removal because he did not believe that government had the capacity to distribute the benefits fairly to ordinary Nigerians. He said he went to Abeokuta to rally residents against it, arguing that the government could take the subsidy but could not return the savings to the poor. He added that many of those who criticised him then are now complaining about high petrol prices, and has previously argued that Tinubu’s subsidy removal ended what he called “overnight billionaires” in the oil and gas sector.
The Criticism
His critics see a contradiction. Opposition figures and commentators have long argued that a former labour leader who shut down the country over small increases now defends a president under whom prices have risen many times over. Activist Omoyele Sowore has gone further, claiming Oshiomhole’s activism was “organised outrage” and was never what it seemed, a charge Oshiomhole has not accepted.
Response
As of this report, 247ureports.com had not located a statement from Oshiomhole or his office addressing the video or the reaction to it.
