Former National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, has defended the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his plan to restore the fuel subsidy if elected, arguing that the policy would ease the hardship facing Nigerians.
Nwosu, who spoke on The Morning Show, an Arise TV programme, on Wednesday, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the subsidy, saying the policy had worsened the economic burden on citizens.
He lamented that the rising cost of transportation had become so severe that some civil servants could no longer afford daily commuting from areas such as Nyanya and Karu to the central parts of Abuja on their salaries.
According to him, leadership should be measured by its impact on the welfare and productivity of citizens rather than by appearances or infrastructure.
“When a policy has failed, a policy has failed. And everything Atiku says, or any leader of ADC says, is something that has been, or has been exhaustively discussed, and we put them through different tests,” Nwosu said.
“That’s how policies are made for a human society. Leadership, any form of leadership, is about people. It’s not about cosmetics. It’s not about machines. It’s not about anything. If your people are not motivated, they cannot produce.”
Nwosu said ADC’s economic plans were focused on creating a productive economy in which citizens were motivated and able to contribute meaningfully to national development.
He also urged policymakers to assess how government decisions affect ordinary Nigerians before concluding that such policies are successful.
“If policies are made for the people, you have to gauge how your people are reacting, how any policy you put in place is affecting your people. And this one was wrong from day one,” he said.
He said ADC was developing policies that would be subjected to monitoring and evaluation, adding that the party’s approach would place the welfare of Nigerians at the centre of governance.
“For us, what is different is that our policy structures are working on a daily basis,” Nwosu said.
“By the time we roll out, finally, with the clear contract that we will have to sign with the people, you will see that even when we put anything on the ground, we are going to follow up. There will be monitoring, there will be evaluation. That’s what government is made for.”
He said the party’s policies would be guided by its commitment to putting citizens’ welfare first, arguing that a motivated population could contribute to higher productivity and better economic outcomes.
“And everything we do must be aligned with the principal character of ADC, which is the welfare of Nigerian people first. Welfare of people at high level, at the bottom level. A motivated people can change production; a motivated people can work with leaders to make the highest kind of outcome. We are going to reconstruct the economy in a way that will benefit Nigerians,” he said.
Nwosu described Atiku’s promise to reverse the subsidy removal as a bold political position aimed at easing the pressure on Nigerians.
“Atiku is showing boldness by saying, take this back so that the Nigerian people will breathe. When they breathe, they will collaborate and cooperate with government and their employers to make greater production. What you take from here, you gain a lot more from the other side,” he said.
He also criticised the Tinubu administration, claiming that Nigeria had not shown sufficient signs of effective governance since 2023.
“And the recklessness of the people in power now, I can tell you that, especially since 2023, this country is not being governed. There is no indicator that the country is being governed. Take a walk to the hospitals and see the number of Nigerians that are there. What is that to celebrate, that you are making your people suffer?” Nwosu said.
Source: Arise TV
