By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President and African Democratic Party (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to set aside political pride and adopt his proposal for government intervention to lower petrol prices, insisting that a sensible idea does not become bad simply because it came from an opponent.
Atiku made the call in a national address titled “Address on Fuel Prices, Palliatives and the Cost of Living,” issued on Friday, in which he urged the President to use his remaining eight months in office to bring relief to Nigerians.
The former Vice President recalled that when he first argued for a review of the withdrawal of petrol subsidy and responsible government intervention to bring down fuel costs, President Tinubu dismissed the proposal as demonstrating “serious ignorance” of governance and the economy.
“My dear Bola, events since then have raised a simple question,” Atiku said. “Is the Nigeria Labour Congress also ignorant when it calls for urgent intervention to cushion workers from rising petrol prices? Are petroleum marketers ignorant when they call for policies that strengthen domestic refining and help moderate pump prices? Are Nigerian manufacturers ignorant when they warn that power-related expenses now consume more than half of operating costs? And are the millions of Nigerians crying out because they can no longer afford transportation, food and other basic necessities also ignorant?”
He warned that when workers, producers, marketers and ordinary families are all raising the alarm, government must listen, adding that “if everybody who questions your policy is ignorant, while only the President is presumed to be wise, then we have a leadership problem on our hands.”
Atiku traced the burden of subsidy removal since May 29, 2023, noting that it has travelled “from the petrol station to the bus stop, from the bus stop to the market, and from the market to the family dining table.”
“When petrol becomes expensive, transportation becomes expensive. When transportation becomes expensive, food becomes expensive. Farmers pay more to move produce. Traders pay more to stock their shops. Workers pay more to get to work. Businesses pay more for logistics and energy. In the end, the Nigerian family receives the bill,” he said.
He argued that economic growth must enter the home and show up in the purchasing power of the worker, stressing that “a government collecting more money while its citizens can afford less cannot declare victory on the strength of bigger numbers alone.”
Addressing the President directly, Atiku said: “Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention. He should just take the idea. Rename it if he wishes. And even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less.”
He added: “A sensible idea does not become a bad idea because it came from your opponent. If responsible intervention can lower prices, intervene. If changing course can help Nigerian families, change course.”
The former Vice President also took a swipe at the government’s palliative approach, saying Nigerians do not need “another elaborate palliative ceremony.”
“Do not make life unbearable and then distribute bags of rice as evidence of compassion. Do not break a man’s legs, hand him crutches and demand applause for providing mobility. Emergency assistance has its place, but palliatives cannot substitute for sound economic policy. A bag of rice cannot repair an economy in which transportation costs outrun salaries. A cash transfer cannot permanently compensate a worker whose income is continuously eroded by energy costs. Palliatives manage pain. Good policy addresses the source of the pain,” he said.
Atiku also cautioned against the planned phase-out of electricity subsidies from 2027, warning that the lesson of petrol must not be repeated with electricity.
“The barber needs electricity for his clippers. The tailor needs it for her machines. The frozen-food seller needs it to preserve her stock. The welder needs it for his equipment. The manufacturer needs it to keep the factory alive. Do not remove first and think later. Do not impose the pain first and search for palliatives afterwards. When energy becomes unaffordable, everything becomes unaffordable,” he warned.
He noted that eight months may sound short inside Aso Rock, “but eight months is a very long time when you are living from hand to mouth,” urging the President to use the time to reduce the burden on Nigerians.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Atiku pledged that if elected, he would introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians.
He illustrated the policy with a rice miller analogy: “Government helps lower the cost of milling so the rice can sell for less. More families can afford it. As sales grow, the miller buys more rice from Nigerian farmers and employs more Nigerians to process, package and transport it. That means cheaper rice for families, more business for farmers and more jobs for Nigerians.”
He said only products confirmed to be refined in Nigeria would qualify under the programme, which would have a fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits. Imported products, he stressed, would not qualify.
Atiku also offered to make his policy framework and technical input available to the current administration if required.
“If your government requires policy ideas or technical input on how to bring relief, I am prepared to make mine available. Nigerians do not have to wait for another administration before they benefit from an idea that can help them today. If you need the framework, I will provide it. Implement it under your government. Give it whatever name you choose. Take the credit. I ask for only one thing: Let Nigerians breathe,” he said.
He concluded: “I am prepared to compete with you politically. But I will never compete with the welfare of the Nigerian people. The presidency may be contested. The wellbeing of Nigerians should never be. Nigerians do not live on statistics. They live on what their hard-earned money can buy.”
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