Oshiomhole Questions Atiku’s Fuel Subsidy Position

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

Oshiomhole said Atiku, during his tenure as vice president, had explained to him why petroleum subsidy should be removed.

The former Edo State governor made the comment in an interview with TVC on Tuesday while reacting to Atiku’s campaign promise 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.

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The senator also questioned Atiku’s position on the management of the country’s petroleum industry, recalling his proposal in 2023 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. I don’t know why he needs to die because he wants to privatise NNPC,” he said.

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Oshiomhole further questioned how a government could privatise the national oil company while retaining control over the price at which petroleum products are sold by the new owners.

“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, a former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has said he would restore fuel subsidy as part of his economic agenda if elected in 2027, arguing that the policy could help reduce the cost of living and make petroleum products more affordable.

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Oshiomhole, however, maintained that Atiku’s previous positions on subsidy removal and NNPC privatisation raised questions about the consistency of his latest proposal.

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