Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s proposed 30-day petrol discount, describing it as a temporary response to a much deeper cost-of-living crisis.
The Federal Government had announced plans to offer a discount on petrol sold through Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) stations for an initial 30 days.
The measure is part of a wider package announced to reduce the pressure of high fuel prices on Nigerians and help stabilise pump prices.
However, Atiku has questioned whether the intervention will provide meaningful and lasting relief once the 30-day period expires.
In a statement issued by his campaign’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu administration of responding to years of economic hardship with a short-term measure.
“Atiku totally rejects this calendar-scheduled, election-laced subsidy package. Nigerians are not fools to be offered a month of discounted fuel after years of punishing prices and then expected to forget the hardship when the discount expires,” he said.
The former vice president argued that the government’s intervention does not address the underlying problems driving up the cost of living.
He described the discount as “not an economic plan but a political bandage on a wound the government had helped create.”
Atiku also questioned what Nigerians should expect after the discount expires.
“What happens on Day 31? Nigerians wake up to the same brutal prices, the same punishing transport fares and the same rising cost of food.”
He argued that providing relief for only one month would not be enough to reverse the economic difficulties facing households and businesses.
The ADC presidential candidate also raised concerns about the scope of the intervention, noting that the discount is limited to petrol sold through NNPCL stations.
He questioned how much motorists would actually save per litre and whether transport operators would pass the benefit on to commuters through lower fares.
Atiku further criticised what he described as a change in the government’s approach to providing relief, arguing that the latest intervention demonstrates that the administration now recognises the severity of the hardship Nigerians are experiencing.
“This volte-face proves that the production-support proposal I have advanced is workable, achievable and not complicated,” Atiku said.
He maintained that his preferred approach would involve capped and budgeted production support linked to petrol refined in Nigeria, with safeguards to ensure consumers benefit while domestic refining is supported.
According to Atiku, such a system would provide more sustainable relief instead of relying on a temporary reduction in fuel costs.
“Nigerians need lasting relief, not a countdown to the return of hardship,” he said.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to policies aimed at making life more affordable for Nigerians.
Source: Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council
