African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has explained that his proposed fuel subsidy framework is intended to support domestic production and help bring down the rising cost of living in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the proposal, if implemented under his administration, would not amount to a return to “Nigeria’s discredited import-subsidy regime.”
The former Vice-President made the clarification in response to a statement attributed to one of his aides suggesting that “an Atiku administration would ‘restore fuel subsidy and remove it later.’”
The statement read in part: “For avoidance of the doubt, policy belongs to the candidate, not the spokesperson. Our responsibility as communicators is to explain Atiku’s position accurately, not create formulations capable of confusing Nigerians or handing opponents convenient talking points.
“Atiku has never proposed restoring the import-subsidy regime and subsequently removing it on some predetermined date. That is not his policy and should not be attributed to him.
“What Atiku proposes is a targeted, capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited subsidy that supports domestic refining and production, with measurable exit conditions built in from day one.
“There is no arbitrary withdrawal date. As domestic refining expands, supply stabilises, competition deepens, and the market becomes capable of delivering affordable prices without government support. The intervention progressively becomes unnecessary.
“You do not remove scaffolding because the calendar says so. You remove it when the building can stand securely on its own. The real question is simple: Why has everything become so expensive, and what will Atiku do to make life affordable again?
“Tinubu transferred the shock of his reforms to Nigerian families. Atiku will reduce production and transportation costs, strengthen domestic refining, and restore purchasing power. The choice is not removal of subsidy versus restoration of subsidy. It is Expensive Nigeria versus Affordable Nigeria.”
