The National Association of Nigerian Students has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027, describing the promise as a political response to economic hardship rather than a sustainable solution to Nigeria’s fiscal challenges.
The NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde, stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday, arguing that returning to the old subsidy system without a clear structural framework would recreate the problems that made the policy unsustainable.
Akinteye said NANS’ position was not partisan but based on the association’s responsibility to assess government policies and speak on issues of national importance.
He said, “Every sane and patriotic citizen who is conversant with our nation’s economy will agree with me that the removal of the fuel subsidy was a difficult but necessary economic reform aimed at ending an increasingly unsustainable system that consumed trillions of naira, benefited higher fuel consumers disproportionately, encouraged smuggling, and constrained the government’s ability to invest in critical sectors.”
The statement came amid renewed political debate over the future of petrol pricing ahead of the 2027 general elections.
