Atiku Abubakar Proposes Targeted Petrol Subsidy for 2027

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has proposed a targeted petrol subsidy intervention to alleviate the financial burden of high fuel prices on Nigerians as the 2027 presidential election approaches. This proposal has sparked significant debate, with economists and energy experts opposing a return to the previous subsidy regime, citing its fiscal unsustainability and potential for corruption.

The current administration, led by President Bola Tinubu, dismissed Atiku's proposal as economically ignorant and politically desperate. In response, Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, clarified that his plan would not resemble the corrupt subsidy system of the past but would be a capped, budgeted, and independently audited mechanism linked to domestic refining.

Energy experts have urged that savings from subsidy removal should be transparently invested in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Dattijo Kabir Muh’d noted that Atiku's approach has shifted the political landscape, putting pressure on the ruling party to demonstrate tangible improvements for the poor before the elections.