Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), 2027 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has said his principal is proposing a targeted, capped and auditable subsidy for domestic production and not the old fuel import subsidy racket.
NEWSNGR recalls that in a Facebook live session, Atiku promised to restore the fuel subsidy regime if elected president in 2027.
In response, the presidency said Atiku’s words show him as a man who lives in the past and does not understand current economic dynamics.
The presidency also expressed concerns about Atiku’s change of mind after he had initially declared support for the fuel subsidy removal.
Onanuga described the fuel subsidy regime as much-abused, wasteful, pillaged, and corruption-ridden.
Reacting, Rufai Oseni, in a post via his 𝕏 handle, wrote, “President Tinubu once fought against subsidy removal. He wrote an article calling it Jonathan’s tax.
“Today, he’s condemning Atiku for saying he will bring back subsidies.
“How is Atiku different from President Tinubu who fought and protested against subsidies?”
Clarifying Atiku’s remark, Shaibu wrote on 𝕏, “The issue isn’t simply ‘subsidy or no subsidy.’ It is what kind of subsidy, who benefits, and how it is administered.
“Atiku is not proposing a return to the old import-subsidy racket. He is proposing a targeted, capped and auditable subsidy for domestic production: supporting Nigerian refining, not foreign imports and middlemen.
So the real debate should be:
“Do we subsidise imports and consumption, or strategically support Nigerian production and jobs? Those are two fundamentally different economic choices.”
