CITIZENS COMPASS— Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, said he would restore the fuel subsidy if elected as the President of Nigeria.
Atiku said this would make his regime surpass that of the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 general elections.
The former Vice President was reacting to the comments by one of his media aides, Paul Ibe, on petrol subsidy.
He said that Nigeria was wealthy enough to provide relief for its citizens.
The presidential candidate disclosed this when the Osun State leadership of the ADC visited him in Abuja.
The former vice-president was reacting to comments by Ibe during an interview on African Independent Television, AIT, in which the aide said Atiku would restore petrol subsidy if elected but gradually phase out the intervention after the economy recovered.
“Earlier, one of my press aides contradicted me in a policy statement as far as subsidy is concerned.
“I want to repeat categorically that when I said I would return to subsidy, I will! Nigeria is rich enough to look after the welfare of its citizens. Let it be clearly stated that he was not speaking on my own authority,” Atiku said.
In a statement posted on his X platform, Atiku said: “On the question of subsidy, my position has not changed and will not change: I will restore it!.
“I believe the wealth of a nation is not measured by how much the government collects, but by how much money in the pockets of its people can buy
“That is why I will restore targeted subsidies and put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians,” he said.
“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.”
