Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his recent opposition to proposals aimed at reducing energy costs, accusing his administration of subjecting Nigerians to prolonged economic hardship while promising relief as the 2027 elections approach.
Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the issue was not a personal contest between him and Tinubu but the worsening cost of living and the inability of millions of Nigerians to afford basic necessities.
Shaibu made the position known in a statement issued on Tuesday titled, “Tinubu, the Issue Is Not Atiku It Is Why Nigerians Can No Longer Afford to Live.”
He said Atiku would not engage the President in a personal exchange but would continue to advocate policies capable of reducing the cost of living and easing the economic burden on Nigerians.
According to him, Atiku’s focus was on Nigerians struggling to cope with the current economic realities.
“Atiku has more important people to engage directly: the mother struggling to feed her children; the civil servant whose salary disappears into transportation; the farmer paying more to move produce to market; the student being pushed into debt simply to remain in school; and millions of Nigerians whose daily reality bears no resemblance to the prosperity advertised in your tweets.”
The statement was issued in response to Tinubu’s recent remarks on economic policy, in which the President criticised Atiku’s proposal to reduce energy costs and ruled out a return to the era of fuel subsidy.
Shaibu questioned why the administration was now promising cheaper transportation, increased food production and relief for vulnerable Nigerians after more than three years of economic hardship.
He asked:
“Why did Nigerians have to suffer for more than three years before your government discovered that economic growth must reach ‘the dining table and the pocket’? Why is intervention backward when Atiku proposes it, but progressive when you announce it?”
Shaibu argued that reducing energy costs would have a wider impact on the economy by lowering transportation and production expenses, which would ultimately help reduce the prices of food and other essential commodities.
He said the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan would provide targeted support for Nigerian crude supplied for domestic refining under a capped and transparently budgeted framework.
According to him, the proposal would include mechanisms for tracking crude supplied, monitoring refined products and ensuring that the benefits of the intervention are passed on to consumers.
“The economics is straightforward. Reduce fuel costs, and you reduce pressure on transportation. Reduce transportation costs, and you reduce the cost of moving tomatoes, rice, yam, livestock and manufactured goods.”
Shaibu maintained that the debate should therefore focus less on political personalities and more on policies capable of improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
