Atiku’s father of subsidy removal in Nigeria —Olawepo-Hashim

The presidential candidate of Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the “father of subsidy removal” in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, saying his recent reversal on fuel subsidy removal deserved an explanation and an apology to Nigerians.

Hashim said he had consistently opposed the removal of subsidy on petroleum products and reiterated his position during an interview on Trust TV last week, where he advocated restoring subsidy on petroleum and other strategically important products as part of measures to protect citizens and productive sectors from excessive economic shocks.

According to Hashim, the subsequent change of position by politicians who previously advocated subsidy removal raises questions about the sincerity and originality of their new positions.

“Some candidates who campaigned in the last election to remove subsidy are now reversing themselves without even regretting their earlier display of ignorance and lack of compassion for the people.”

Hashim specifically criticised Atiku for changing his position without acknowledging his previous advocacy for subsidy removal.

“Atiku’s recant on subsidy removal without an apology is dishonesty. If you change your position because circumstances or evidence have changed, tell Nigerians why you changed. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. What is wrong is pretending that you never held the position in the first place,” Hashim said.

He said Atiku, President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi all campaigned on subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential election, while he, Omoyele Sowore and Prince Adewole Adebayo opposed the policy.

He argued that Atiku’s position on subsidy removal predated the Tinubu administration, describing the former vice president as one of the earliest major advocates of subsidy removal and wholesale privatisation during Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

“The truth of the matter is that Atiku, before Tinubu, on the National political scene, has been the father of the idea of subsidy removal and wholesale privatisation in this republic, he and his so-called economic team.

We combatted them vigorously during the early period of the Obasanjo government.”

‘We opposed subsidy removal when it was politically inconvenient’’’ he said.

Hashim recalled that in 1999, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when Atiku served as Vice President and headed the government’s economic team, the administration increased petroleum product prices and removed subsidy.

He said he and other PDP officials publicly opposed the decision.

According to him, Alhaji Iro Dan Musa, then PDP Deputy National Chairman; Harry Marshall, National Vice Chairman, South South; Abubakar Magaji, National Vice Chairman, North Central; Emmanuel Ibeshi, National Publicity Secretary; and himself, then Deputy National Publicity Secretary, jointly addressed a press conference condemning the increase in petroleum prices and subsidy removal.

Hashim added that the National Assembly also passed resolutions against the policy, after which the executive reversed its decision.

“We opposed subsidy removal when it was politically inconvenient to do so. We did not suddenly discover the suffering of Nigerians because another election is approaching,’’ he said.

He said the historical record demonstrated that his opposition to subsidy removal was not an electoral strategy.

Hashim, who proposed targeted subsidy system, said the debate should move beyond the simplistic argument that every subsidy was wasteful and instead focus on designing a transparent and sustainable system that protected citizens and productive economic activity.

He argued that subsidy could be deployed strategically to reduce production costs, protect purchasing power, support industrial activity and prevent sudden economic shocks, arguing there was subsidy in America and Europe, and that only ignorant and wicked people made blanket argument against subsidy” 

“Our position is simple: restore subsidy on petroleum products and other strategic products where necessary, but do it intelligently. Subsidy should be targeted at protecting the Nigerian economy and Nigerian people, not at enriching intermediaries,” he said.

He proposed that any future subsidy regime should be built around targeting, transparency, measurable economic outcomes and strict accountability, rather than open-ended payments to importers or politically connected intermediaries.

According to him, “our own government would identify strategic products and sectors where price shocks have economic wide consequences, establish clear eligibility criteria, publish the fiscal cost and beneficiaries, and periodically assess whether the intervention is delivering measurable economic benefits.”

He also assured that stronger domestic production would be an essential component of a sustainable subsidy policy.

“The objective would be to use subsidy as a bridge to greater domestic productive capacity not as a permanent excuse for dependence on imports.”

Hashim also criticised sections of the media for failing to sufficiently scrutinise changing political positions.

Onaiyekan, Mbah, Osigwe, Yadudu, others to speak at NGE 2026 conference in Enugu Sept 24, 25

•Obi of Onitsha to chair event

The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has announced that its 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference, ANEC, will hold at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Enugu, on September 24 and 25, 2026.

The annual conference, which is the flagship gathering of the Guild, will bring together more than 500 editors from across the country and other distinguished guests to deliberate on critical national and global issues with far-reaching social, economic and political implications.

A statement by the President and General Secretary of the Guild, Eze Anaba and Onuoha Ukeh, respectively, said the conference was particularly significant as it comes ahead of the 2027 general election.

The theme of this year’s conference, the Guild said, is “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” while the sub-theme is “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Election.” 

His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, will be chairman of the conference. 

The statement said former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, will deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony on September 24 from 2pm.

Also on the first day, Prof. Auwal Yadudu of the Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano, will speak on “Public Trust, Electoral Justice and Democratic Stability.” Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, will also address the conference.

Ombudsman & Public Protector, This Day Newspapers, Kayode Komolafe and veteran journalist and civil rights campaigner, Owei Lakemfa, will round off the day’s sessions with a joint presentation on “Reporting Terrorism Without Becoming a Tool for Terrorists.”

On the second day, September 25, immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, will speak on “Election Petitions in the Digital Age: Independence, Evidence, BVAS and the Courts.” His presentation is scheduled for 9am. 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Paul University, Awka, Prof. Chinyere Okunna, will address the conference on “Neutrality, Professionalism and Election Security in Democratic Governance,” while founder and Chief Medical Director of Save A Life Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr. Richard Okoye, will speak on “The Human Side of Journalism: Managing Stress, Deadlines and Personal Wellbeing.”

Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media, Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA, Prof. Farooq A. Kperogi, will examine the conference sub-theme, “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Election.”

The second day will also feature an Executive Session at 12:30pm, during which editors will engage governors, political party leaders and heads of government parastatals on issues of national importance.

According to the Guild, the conference will provide a platform for editors and other stakeholders to examine pathways for advancing democratic governance, promote national development and strengthen nation-building through responsible and responsive journalism.

The NGE said the gathering would also provide an opportunity for media leaders to interrogate the challenges confronting democracy and the role of the media in safeguarding credible elections, public trust and democratic values.