Atiku Abubakar Critiques Tinubu's Power Policy Shift

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar stated that the Tinubu administration has adopted a decentralized electricity model he advocated since 2005, after nearly three years of poor planning in Nigeria's power sector. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku criticized the administration for increasing electricity tariffs without implementing necessary structural reforms.

He recalled his tenure under President Olusegun Obasanjo, where he urged for decentralization of electricity generation using various sources. Atiku mentioned that he was appointed Chairman of the Power Sector Reform Committee but declined to preside due to disagreement with its gas-fired generation focus.

He reiterated his stance in a 2022 interview and throughout his presidential campaigns from 2007 to 2023, arguing that Nigeria's reliance on centralized generation is economically unsustainable. Atiku lamented that the current government has failed to implement coherent reforms, instead raising tariffs before considering necessary changes.