Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has seized on a new SBM Intelligence survey to declare that Nigerians have decisively rejected President Bola Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal, calling on the government to reverse course immediately.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the survey’s finding that 67.4 per cent of respondents want petrol subsidy restored amounts to a public verdict against a policy he said was implemented without adequate planning.
He argued the figure reflects more than economic sentiment, describing it as evidence that Nigerians are turning toward what he called a governing philosophy that protects citizens rather than exposing them to market forces.
Atiku noted that the survey ranked petrol as the second-most cited national problem and rated it the administration’s worst-performing policy issue, scoring 1.69 out of four.
He said the hardship was especially acute in rural areas, where 32.4 per cent of respondents named petrol their primary concern compared with 11.7 per cent in urban areas, and pointed to the Southwest and South-South as regions where fuel costs ranked as the top complaint.
He blamed the Tinubu administration for removing fuel subsidy without a strategy for domestic refining, mass transportation or wage protection, saying the consequences included soaring transport costs, rising food prices and business closures.
Atiku said the government could no longer rely on GDP figures or its CNG initiative to offset the everyday cost pressures facing ordinary Nigerians.
Outlining his own proposal, Atiku said that if elected in 2027, he would introduce a transparent production subsidy limited to petroleum products refined and sold within Nigeria, excluding imports, and subject to a fixed budget, National Assembly approval and independent audits.
He said the policy would aim to lower fuel prices, boost domestic refining capacity and restore purchasing power, while urging Tinubu to provide relief to Nigerians before leaving office.
