Fuel Subsidy: 30-Day Discount Won’t End Nigerians’ Hardship, Atiku Tells Tinubu

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s proposed 30-day fuel discount, describing it as a temporary measure that would not address the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Atiku, in a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said the proposed discount amounted to a short-term intervention rather than a sustainable solution to the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.

He questioned the timing of the initiative, arguing that the government had allowed Nigerians to endure rising fuel prices, transportation costs and food prices before introducing the temporary relief.

Atiku said Nigerians should not be expected to forget their economic difficulties simply because of a one-month reduction in the cost of petrol.

He asked the Federal Government to explain what would happen after the expiration of the 30-day period, particularly as Nigerians would still have to contend with high transport fares and rising food prices.

According to him, “What happens on Day 31? Nigerians wake up to the same brutal prices, the same punishing transport fares and the same rising cost of food.”

He also questioned the scope of the proposed intervention, noting that it would be available only at NNPC stations. He further asked the government to disclose the amount motorists would save per litre and explain how any savings by transport operators would translate into lower fares for commuters.

The former vice president argued that the government’s decision to introduce the temporary relief showed that measures aimed at cushioning the impact of fuel prices were possible.

He said his previously proposed production-support initiative, which would be tied to fuel refined in Nigeria, remained a more sustainable option for addressing the challenges associated with petrol prices.

Atiku advocated capped and budgeted production support for locally refined fuel, with appropriate safeguards to ensure that the benefits reached consumers while also supporting domestic refining.

He said Nigerians needed sustainable measures that would provide lasting relief rather than temporary interventions that would expire after a few weeks.

“Nigerians need lasting relief, not a countdown to the return of hardship,” Atiku said.