The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to return Nigeria to the old fuel subsidy regime could reverse the economic gains recorded under the ongoing reforms, with negative consequences for workers’ wages, education, infrastructure and the fiscal stability of states.
The APC National Chairman, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, on Sunday, said the former Vice President’s proposal to reinstate fuel subsidy would return Nigerians to fuel queues, threaten the payment of the current minimum wage and lead to the cancellation of education grants for Nigerian students, among other negative consequences for the masses.
Recall that on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu, during his inauguration, declared that fuel subsidy was gone, in line with his campaign promise. Although the removal triggered an increase in the prices of goods and services, the APC-led Federal Government has consistently maintained that the policy has yielded significant economic gains for the country.
Ahead of the 2027 election, the former Vice President, who also promised in 2023 to end fuel subsidy if elected, last week pledged to reinstate the subsidy if elected in the January Presidential election to cushion the effect of its removal on Nigerians.
