Oshiomhole: Atiku once lectured me on why fuel subsidy must go, now he wants it back

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to restore fuel subsidy if he wins the presidency in 2027, saying Atiku once argued the opposite position to him.

Speaking on TVC on Tuesday, the former Edo State governor said that while Atiku was vice president, he personally explained to him the wastefulness of petroleum subsidy and why it had to be removed. Oshiomhole was NLC president at the time and said he disagreed with the argument.

“Atiku Abubakar himself, in his quiet moment, will laugh at himself. Don’t forget, I was the president of the NLC, and as vice president, Atiku lectured me about the waste of petroleum subsidy and why it is necessary to remove it, except that I disagree with them,” he said.

Oshiomhole also questioned Atiku’s consistency, pointing to his 2023 campaign promise to privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The senator further queried the logic of privatising the national oil company while a government still dictates pricing to the new owners.

“So can you privatise something in private hands, and yet dictate to the new owner how to sell the product that he produces?” he asked.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), has said restoring the subsidy is part of his economic agenda, arguing it would ease the cost of living and make petroleum products more affordable.

Oshiomhole maintained that Atiku’s earlier stance on subsidy removal casts doubt on the new promise.

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