A fresh war of words has erupted between the Presidency and Atiku Abubakar over his promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president.
The Presidency says conflicting statements from Atiku and his aides raise questions about the consistency and feasibility of the proposal. It is also challenging the former vice president to explain how the proposed subsidy would be funded, who would benefit and when it would eventually end.
Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, says Atiku’s team has offered different explanations of the policy within days.
He says while one aide described the subsidy as a temporary measure, another disputed that position before Atiku himself reaffirmed his plan to introduce a targeted subsidy.
The Presidency argues that petrol prices are influenced by several factors, including crude oil prices, exchange rates, refining, transportation and distribution costs. It also rejects the suggestion that petrol prices alone are responsible for rising food costs, citing insecurity, agricultural productivity, logistics, flooding and input costs among other factors.
The government says any serious economic programme must address these wider challenges rather than reduce the cost-of-living crisis to fuel prices.
The Presidency has therefore urged Atiku to provide a clear and costed plan for his proposed subsidy, insisting that Nigerians cannot afford another expensive and opaque subsidy regime.
It describes the former vice president’s position as politically driven and lacking a coherent economic framework.
