Subsidy Removal: Atiku Decries Hardship, Pledges Economic Restoration for Nigerians

The former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has voiced strong disapproval regarding the current administration’s management of the fuel subsidy removal policy. In a statement addressing the prevailing economic climate, he suggested that the abrupt nature of the policy shift has placed an undue burden on the shoulders of the average Nigerian, triggering a cascading effect on the prices of essential goods and services.

According to reports, the PDP candidate argued that while fiscal adjustment is a necessary component of national growth, the methodology employed lacks the required social safety nets to cushion the vulnerable. He emphasized that the rising cost of transportation and food is creating an unsustainable environment for households that are already grappling with stagnant wages and high unemployment rates.

Atiku further remarked that his past economic proposals were designed to address systemic inefficiencies without triggering the current level of national distress. He asserts that his alternative framework would have prioritized a phased, human-centric approach that ensures the petroleum sector is deregulated only after local refining capacity has been significantly scaled up to reduce import dependency.