ATIKU AND RESTORATION OF FUEL SUBSIDY
Why have media outlets focused almost exclusively on the recurring fuel subsidy debate while paying little attention to the broader and more fundamental concerns raised by Atiku Abubakar? It is
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has promised to restore fuel subsidies if elected in the 2027 election. His argument is that Nigerians have not seen enough benefits from the removal of the subsidy, which led to higher prices for petrol, transportation, food, and other goods and services. This has disproportionately affected millions of Nigerians already struggling with declining purchasing power.
Between May 2023 and December 2025, Nigeria reportedly generated ₦15.8 trillion in additional public resources from removing the petrol subsidy and floating the naira. These funds were distributed among the three tiers of government - state, federal, and local - to provide additional resources amid mounting economic pressures on citizens. State governments received ₦6.52 trillion, while the federal government received ₦5.43 trillion, and local governments received ₦3.88 trillion.
However, there remain fundamental questions about how effectively these funds have been utilized. Atiku has raised concerns about transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources. Nigerians should ask what has been achieved with the additional revenue, whether improvements commensurate with the scale of the resources have been made, and where the savings from subsidy reform have gone.
If the funds had been transparently invested in sectors such as healthcare, education, security, infrastructure, and youth empowerment, Nigeria could be in a much better position today.
Written by urgent.news from This Day's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
