Atiku Once Explained Why Subsidy Should Go, Says Oshiomhole

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has questioned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s plan to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), recalled that Atiku once explained to him why petroleum subsidy was wasteful and should be removed.

The former Edo State governor made the remarks during a TVC interview on Tuesday while reacting to Atiku’s renewed position on fuel subsidy.

Oshiomhole said he was NLC president when Atiku served as vice president. According to him, Atiku personally argued that removing the subsidy was necessary.

“Atiku Abubakar himself, in his quiet moment, will laugh at himself,” Oshiomhole said.

“Don’t forget, I was the president of the NLC, and as vice president, Atiku lectured me about the waste of petroleum subsidy and why it is necessary to remove it, except that I disagree with them.”

Atiku has repeatedly maintained that he would restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027.

He first made the pledge in August and later reaffirmed it, saying his position on the issue had not changed.

The former vice president has argued that the intervention would help reduce the burden of fuel and transportation costs on Nigerians. He has also questioned how savings from the removal of the subsidy have been used.

Oshiomhole also recalled Atiku’s position during the 2023 presidential campaign on the proposed privatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The senator questioned how a privatised oil company could operate while the government continued to determine the price of its petroleum products.

“Remember, Atiku is on record, just in 2023, as saying that he will privatise NNPC,” he said.

“So can you privatise something in private hands, and yet dictate to the new owner how to sell the product that he produces?”

Atiku’s camp has sought to distinguish the current proposal from the former petrol subsidy arrangement. His spokesperson previously described the proposed intervention as support tied to crude production and domestic refining rather than a return to the old import-subsidy system.

The subsidy debate has emerged as a major economic issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku presenting his proposal as an intervention to ease economic pressure while critics question its policy and fiscal implications.