Atiku lectured me on subsidy removal, now he wants to restore it — Oshiomhole

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

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

The former Edo State governor stated this 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.

The senator also questioned Atiku’s consistency on the issue, recalling the former vice president’s 2023 proposal 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.

Oshiomhole further questioned how a government could privatise the national oil company while still controlling 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 Africa Democratic Congress, 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.

Oshiomhole, however, maintained that Atiku’s previous position on subsidy removal raises questions about the latest promise.