Abstract
Fuel subsidy has historically served as an important economic policy in Nigeria because of the country’s dependence on petroleum products for transportation, electricity generation, trade and household survival. However, the decision of the Federal Government under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan to remove fuel subsidy in January 2012 generated widespread protests and public dissatisfaction across the country, including Jalingo town. This article examined the impact of the 2012 fuel subsidy removal on residents of Jalingo town in Taraba State, with particular focus on its economic, social and environmental implications. It explained the historical development of fuel subsidy in Nigeria, analysed the political and economic rationale behind the subsidy removal, investigated residents’ reactions to the policy, and assessed its economic, social and environmental effects on the town. The article adopted primary and secondary methods of data collection, including oral interviews with residents, transport operators, traders, students, civil servants and small business owners. The findings showed that the policy negatively affected lowincome households, traders, students, civil servants, transport operators and small business owners. Many residents adopted coping mechanisms such as reducing household expenditure, adjusting transportation patterns, relying on communal savings systems and shifting to alternative energy sources. The article concluded that although government justified the subsidy removal on grounds of economic reform and fiscal sustainability, the immediate consequences created severe hardship for ordinary residents of Jalingo town.
Keywords: Fuel subsidy removal; Jalingo; Occupy Nigeria; household welfare; economic reform; transportation cost; palliatives.
Author name(s):
David Mnzughuiga Igba
Department of History and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Veritas University, Abuja
Samuel Wycliff
Department of History and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Veritas University, Abuja
Tebrimam Sophia Mark
Department of History and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Veritas University, Abuja
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23149564
Copyright © [2026] The Author(s). Published by the Journal of People and Worldviews (JPW). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited.