Atiku Vows to Restore Fuel Subsidy to Ease Economic Hardship

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has insisted that he would restore fuel subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general election, describing the policy as necessary to ease the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

Atiku made the pledge during a campaign rally in Kebbi State on November 5, where he urged residents to support the ADC, promising to address insecurity, unemployment and rising living costs.

He asked supporters whether they wanted the return of fuel subsidy, improved security and employment opportunities, insisting that his party was committed to delivering these objectives.

The former vice-president argued that the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu's administration had contributed to rising transportation costs, food prices and other household expenses.

He maintained that restoring the intervention would help reduce the financial burden on families and businesses while improving economic productivity.

Atiku has previously clarified that his proposal would not involve reviving the former subsidy arrangement, which he described as vulnerable to corruption and financial abuse.

Instead, he proposed a targeted, capped and transparently budgeted intervention tied to domestic refining and petroleum production, with independent auditing to prevent misuse of public funds.

Under the proposed arrangement, crude oil would be supplied to local refiners at discounted rates to reduce production costs and enable the supply of petroleum products at more affordable prices.

He said the intervention would support domestic production, strengthen local refining capacity and gradually become unnecessary as competition increased and fuel supply stabilised.

Atiku also argued that the success of economic policies should be measured by their impact on citizens' purchasing power rather than the amount of revenue generated by government.

President Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, a decision that triggered significant increases in fuel prices and intensified economic pressures across the country.

The Federal Government has defended the reform as necessary to eliminate an unsustainable fiscal burden, improve public revenue and redirect resources towards national development.

However, the policy has remained a major subject of political debate ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition figures questioning its impact on household welfare.

Atiku has maintained that his proposed intervention would provide relief to Nigerians without recreating the weaknesses of the previous fuel subsidy system.