An aide to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu never abolished the fuel subsidy.
He claimed Tinubu changed the subsidy’s beneficiaries.
NEWSNGR reports that Shaibu made the claim while reacting to a columnist, @Waziriadio.
@Waziriadio, in his latest column on ThisDay, discussed what makes the removal of petrol subsidy still an unsettled issue in Nigeria and why Atiku’s plan to restore the subsidy is deeply problematic.
However, Shaibu claimed that Tinubu was practising Robin Hood economics. He said Tinubu is robbing the poor to subsidise the rich and powerful.
Speaking via post on 𝕏, the aide said, “His proposal is a targeted, capped, budgeted and independently audited production support that follows the barrel refined in Nigeria, guarantees consumer price relief and carries a sunset clause.”
“My dear big brother @Waziriadio, the problem with your argument is that it attacks a policy @atiku did not propose.
“@atiku is not returning Nigeria to the open-ended subsidy on imported petrol. His proposal is a targeted, capped, budgeted and independently audited production support that follows the barrel refined in Nigeria, guarantees consumer price relief and carries a sunset clause.
“By the way, @officialABAT did not abolish subsidy; he merely changed its beneficiaries. He took it from the petrol tanks of struggling Nigerians and repackaged it as waivers and incentives for his big oil friends.
“It is Robin Hood economics in reverse: robbing the poor to subsidise the rich and powerful.
“You may disagree with the @atiku model. But first, argue against what the model actually proposed.
“Otherwise, we are conducting an elaborate funeral for a corpse nobody brought to the burial,” he added.
