Atiku's subsidy reversal defended: Leader should review policies causing hardship
Paul Ibe, media adviser to former VP Atiku Abubakar, defended his principal's shift from supporting petrol subsidy removal in 2023 to promising its restoration if elected in 2027, arguing leaders must review policies causing citizen hardship. Speaking Friday on X, Ibe responded to Presidency criticism (via Bayo Onanuga) that Atiku's position contradicts his 2023 campaign stance.
Ibe cited World Bank data showing petrol prices rose 163% after subsidy removal in 2023, contributing to inflation that pushed an estimated seven million additional Nigerians into poverty in 2025—raising the national poverty rate to 63%. He acknowledged Atiku's initial support for removal but stressed circumstances changed: "Leadership and heartlessness should never go together." Ibe argued governments routinely reassess policies, and the test is whether reforms improved ordinary Nigerians' lives.
Regarding Atiku's alternative approach, Ibe described the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP), which focuses on reducing domestic refining costs to lower fuel prices without returning to the old subsidy system. The plan aims to cut transportation/logistics expenses for farmers and manufacturers, ultimately "jumpstarting the economy laid prostrate by Tinubu's 'Bole Kaja' policies."
With fuel prices directly affecting household budgets, Nigerians should consider: Does restoring subsidy offer immediate relief despite fiscal risks, or does pursuing domestic refining refinement provide sustainable solutions to the cost-of-living crisis?