*‘We Are Competing With Thieves; They Stole Election, Now They Have Stolen Everything’
*Disowns Aide’s Statement
FORMER vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has restated his plan to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in next year’s general elections.
His insistence is contrary to the statement by one of his media aides, Paul Ibe, who on Monday, August 23, said though his principal would restore petrol subsidy if elected, he would phase it out later.
Ibe, while appearing on a television programme, said the temporary intervention would give Nigerians and businesses room to recover, stimulate economic activity and improve productivity.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, speaking on Tuesday, August 25, when he received the Osun State leadership of the party in Abuja, distanced himself from Ibe’s position, saying he did not speak on his authority.
In a statement posted on his X handle, Atiku stated: “This afternoon or this evening, so many Nigerians have been calling me to say that, you know, one of my press aides had contradicted me in my policy statement as far as subsidy is concerned.
“I want to repeat categorically that what I said, I will return subsidy, I will. And I shall. Nigeria is rich enough to look after the welfare of its citizens.
“Therefore, let it be clearly stated that he was not speaking on my own authority, because the removal of subsidy has driven more Nigerians into poverty than at any other time in the history of this country.”
Atiku stated that the fundamental responsibility of the government is the welfare of the citizens, noting: “I will make sure we secure this country. We are competing with thieves. They stole the election. Now they have stolen the economy. They have stolen everything.”
He reiterated that his position on subsidy “has not changed and will not change,” saying restoring subsidy would help put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians, vowing not to restore the “import racket.”
He added: “When fuel rises, transport rises. When transport rises, food rises. When food rises, families suffer. I will break that wretched chain that has defined our national life in the nearly four years of Tinubu’s presidency.
“I will support Nigerian production, reduce energy costs and restore purchasing power. I will not restore the import racket; I will restore relief.”
Atiku said his administration would also focus on improving the value of the naira, making daily living more affordable and securing Nigerians, noting: “I will make the naira in your pocket worth more, make daily living affordable again, and secure our people.
“I believe the wealth of a nation is not measured by how much government collects, but by how much the money in the pockets of its people can buy.
“I want wages to have value again. I want farmers to move produce without transport swallowing their profits. I want families to fill their baskets without emptying their pockets. I want businesses to produce, employ and prosper.
“That is why I will restore targeted subsidy and put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians.
“When fuel rises, transport rises. When transport rises, food rises. When food rises, families suffer. I will break that wretched chain that has defined our national life in the nearly four years of Tinubu’s presidency.
“I will support Nigerian production, reduce energy costs and restore purchasing power. I will not restore the import racket; I will restore relief.
“I restated this commitment when I received the Osun State leadership of the ADC in Abuja on Tuesday. I will make the naira in your pocket worth more, make daily living affordable again, and secure our people. That is the Nigeria I intend to build.”
Atiku also drew a clear line between his proposed petroleum intervention and Nigeria’s former fuel import subsidy regime, saying any support under his administration would be targeted at domestic production and tied to measurable performance.
In another statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the Atiku camp said clarified that had not proposed bringing back the old system under which government subsidised imported petrol, but rather a capped and transparent intervention to support local refining, increase supply and ultimately bring down energy costs.
Shaibu stated: “For the avoidance of 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.
Noting that subsidy would be phased out as domestic refining capacity expands, fuel supply becomes more stable and competition improves, Shaibu said: “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.”
His latest clarification seeks to redefine that position as a production-support mechanism rather than a return to the old import-driven arrangement.
Rather than focusing on when government support would end, Shaibu said the emphasis should be on whether the intervention achieves its intended economic objectives, adding: “The real question is simple: Why has everything become so expensive, and what will Atiku do to make life affordable again?”
He accused the Tinubu government of transferring the burden of its economic reforms to households and businesses, saying an Atiku government would instead focus on reducing production and transportation costs, strengthening domestic refining and rebuilding purchasing power.
He argued: “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.”
Recall that President Bola Tinubu scrapped petrol subsidy at his inauguration on May 29, 2023, thereby triggering increase in petrol prices and cost of living in the country.
