2027: Atiku tackles Tinubu over fuel price

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to President Bola Tinubu's criticism of his proposals to reduce energy costs, accusing the current administration of exacerbating economic hardship for Nigerians while making empty promises ahead of the 2027 elections. Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, addressed the issue in a statement, emphasizing that the central challenge lies in the inability of millions of Nigerians to afford basic necessities.

Shaibu argued that Atiku would not engage in a personal confrontation with Tinubu but would instead continue to advocate for policies aimed at alleviating the cost of living. The statement highlighted the plight of various Nigerians, including mothers struggling to feed their children, civil servants whose salaries are swallowed by transportation expenses, farmers paying more to transport their produce, students burdened with debt, and millions of Nigerians whose lives do not align with the prosperity portrayed by the government.

This response came in the wake of Tinubu's recent statements on economic policy, in which he dismissed Atiku's proposals to lower energy costs and dismissed the prospect of reinstating fuel subsidies. Shaibu questioned why the administration only seeks to provide relief after enduring more than three years of hardship, emphasizing that intervention should have been implemented earlier.

The statement advocated for prioritizing investment over the ongoing debate about fuel subsidies, arguing that reducing energy costs would have a broader positive impact on the economy by lowering transportation and production expenses, thereby decreasing the prices of essential goods such as food. Atiku's proposal includes a framework for tracking crude supplied, monitoring refined products, and implementing a consumer pass-through mechanism to ensure that the benefits of the intervention reach end consumers.