Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate and former Vice‑President, urged President Bola Tinubu to use the remaining eight months of his term to ease the economic burden on Nigerians at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Atiku said the removal of the fuel subsidy on 29 May 2023 has left families, workers, farmers and businesses without adequate protection. “For over three years the burden of high petrol price has moved the petrol station to the bus stop down to family dining table,” he said, noting that rising fuel costs affect transportation, food prices and other business logistics.
“When workers, producers, marketers and ordinary families are all raising the alarm, government must listen. If everybody who questions your policy is ignorant, while only the President is presumed to be wise, then we have a leadership problem on our hands.”
Atiku recalled that his earlier call for a review of the subsidy withdrawal was dismissed by Tinubu as “serious ignorance” of governance and the economy. He questioned whether the Nigeria Labour Congress, petroleum marketers, manufacturers and the millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford basic necessities were also “ignorant.”
He called on the president to consider a capped production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, arguing that such a measure would reduce production costs, keep goods in warehouses, and restore purchasing power to households. “Economic growth must enter the home. It must show up in the purchasing power of the worker,” Atiku said.
Atiku offered to provide the government with a framework for relief, saying, “If you need the framework, I will provide it. Implement it under your government. Take the credit.” He added that if elected in May 2027 he would introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products sold in Nigeria.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
