By Ayorinde Oluokun
The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC for the 2027 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has insisted that he will restore fuel subsidy if he is elected to office.
Atiku said this while disputing the claim of one of his spokespersons, Paul Ibe, in a television interview during a meeting with some members of ADC from Osun State.
Ibe had during his appearance on the television station said Atiku will restore the fuel subsidy temporarily and later phase it out if elected president in 2027.
But speaking while receiving the Osun ADC leaders, the former Vice President dismissed claim by Ibe.
He stated that the media was not speaking for him when he made the claim.
Atiku insisted that he will remove fuel subsidy as Nigeria as a country is rich enough to cater for its people.
“On the question of subsidy, my position has not changed and will not change: I will restore it! A nation as blessed as ours has no business abandoning its citizens to hardship. Nigeria is rich enough to look after her own,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President said his insistence on removal of fuel subsidy was borne out of his believe that the wealth of a nation is not measured by how much government collects, but by how much the money in the pockets of its people can buy.
“I want wages to have value again. I want farmers to move produce without transport swallowing their profits. I want families to fill their baskets without emptying their pockets. I want businesses to produce, employ and prosper.
“That is why I will restore targeted subsidy and put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians.
“When fuel rises, transport rises. When transport rises, food rises. When food rises, families suffer.
“I will break that wretched chain that has defined our national life in the nearly four years of Tinubu’s presidency.
“I will support Nigerian production, reduce energy costs and restore purchasing power. I will not restore the import racket; I will restore relief.
“I restated this commitment when I received the Osun State leadership of the ADC in Abuja on Tuesday.
“I will make the naira in your pocket worth more, make daily living affordable again, and secure our people.
“Economic security. Physical security. A better life for every Nigerian.
“That is the Nigeria I intend to build,”
