You Lectured Me on Subsidy Removal, Now He Wants to Restore It, Oshiomhole to Atiku

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has questioned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s promise to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Oshiomhole said Atiku, while serving as vice president, had explained to him why petroleum subsidy was wasteful and needed to be removed.

The former Edo State governor spoke in an interview with TVC on Tuesday while reacting to Atiku’s campaign pledge to reverse the removal of fuel subsidy.

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

The senator also questioned Atiku’s consistency on the issue, recalling his 2023 proposal to privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“Remember, Atiku is on record, just in 2023, as saying that he will privatise NNPC. You don’t have that tape? He even added that even if they kill him,” Oshiomhole said.

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He further questioned how a government could privatise the national oil company while still controlling the price at which petroleum products are sold by private operators.

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

Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress, has pledged to restore fuel subsidy if elected in 2027, arguing that the policy would help reduce the cost of living and make petroleum products more affordable.

Oshiomhole, however, said Atiku’s previous position on subsidy removal and the privatisation of NNPC raises questions about his latest economic proposals.