Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that his proposed petroleum intervention is not a return to Nigeria’s former import subsidy regime but a targeted measure aimed at supporting domestic production and reducing the cost of living.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following comments attributed to Paul Ibe suggesting that an Atiku administration would restore fuel subsidy and subsequently remove it.
Shaibu described the comments as “an unauthorised, imprecise and materially misleading characterisation of Atiku’s policy position,” stressing that spokespeople were not authorised to redefine or improvise on policies already articulated by the ADC presidential candidate.
“For avoidance of the doubt, policy belongs to the candidate, not the spokesperson. Our responsibility as communicators is to explain Atiku’s position accurately, not create formulations capable of confusing Nigerians or handing opponents convenient talking points,” he said.
Shaibu said Atiku had never proposed restoring the import subsidy regime and removing it at a predetermined date, insisting that such a policy should not be attributed to him.
According to him, Atiku is proposing a targeted, capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited intervention to support domestic refining and production, with measurable conditions for its eventual withdrawal built into the policy from the outset.
“Atiku has never proposed restoring the import-subsidy regime and subsequently removing it on some predetermined date. That is not his policy and should not be attributed to him,” Shaibu said.
He added that the intervention would not have an arbitrary withdrawal date, explaining that government support would gradually become unnecessary as domestic refining capacity expands, fuel supply stabilises, competition increases and market conditions improve.
“There is no arbitrary withdrawal date. As domestic refining expands, supply stabilises, competition deepens, and the market becomes capable of delivering affordable prices without government support. The intervention progressively becomes unnecessary.
“You do not remove scaffolding because the calendar says so. You remove it when the building can stand securely on its own.”
The clarification comes amid continued political debate over the impact of the Federal Government’s removal of petrol subsidy in 2023 and the subsequent rise in fuel prices, transportation costs and household expenses.
The Tinubu administration removed the petrol subsidy shortly after taking office in May 2023 as part of its economic reform programme, arguing that the policy had become financially unsustainable. The decision triggered a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to wider cost-of-living pressures.
Shaibu said the focus of Atiku’s proposed policy should therefore be on reducing the underlying cost of production and transportation rather than on the terminology surrounding subsidy.
“The real question is simple: Why has everything become so expensive, and what will Atiku do to make life affordable again?” he said.
He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of transferring the burden of its economic reforms to Nigerian households, while promising that an Atiku administration would seek to reduce production and transportation costs, strengthen domestic refining and improve Nigerians’ purchasing power.
“Tinubu transferred the shock of his reforms to Nigerian families. Atiku will reduce production and transportation costs, strengthen domestic refining, and restore purchasing power.
“The choice is not removal of subsidy versus restoration of subsidy. It is Expensive Nigeria versus Affordable Nigeria.”
