Atiku demands subsidy savings over ASUU strike threat

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for the funds saved from the removal of fuel subsidy, following the renewed threat of industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

In a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the latest strike threat contradicted the Federal Government’s justification for subsidy removal, as public universities still faced inadequate funding.

The statement followed ASUU’s renewed warning over outstanding obligations and unresolved agreements with the Federal Government, raising fresh concerns about another disruption to the university academic calendar.

He said the government could no longer ask Nigerians to accept the hardship associated with the subsidy removal policy while public universities continued to grapple with inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits and unresolved labour issues.

He said, “Subsidy removal was presented to Nigerians as a painful but necessary reform that would free resources for critical sectors, including education, healthcare, infrastructure and social welfare.

“If the subsidy is gone and Nigerians have paid for that decision through unprecedented hardship, then President Tinubu owes the country a simple answer: where is the money?

“The house of cards of falsehoods erected by the Tinubu administration to justify the suffering of Nigerians is collapsing before our eyes.”

The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate said the situation was particularly troubling given repeated claims by government officials that the removal of subsidy had resulted in increased revenues and higher allocations to state governments.

“If substantially more money is supposedly flowing to the states, why has the condition of public education not improved accordingly?

“A government that strips citizens of relief, denies them meaningful social protection and fails to deliver the basic improvements it promised has forfeited the moral credibility to continue preaching sacrifice,” Atiku said.

He maintained that the Federal Government should provide Nigerians with a clear account of the resources generated since the subsidy regime was abolished and demonstrate how the funds had been deployed.

According to Atiku, “A government cannot keep taking from the people, returning excuses and loans, and calling that reform.

“Tinubu removed subsidy from the people, but he has not removed the threat of ASUU strikes. He has not resolved the crisis of unpaid obligations. He has not sufficiently expanded our universities. He has not made education more affordable.”

He also accused the administration of applying different standards to ordinary Nigerians and powerful interests, alleging that the government was willing to provide concessions and privileges to influential groups while asking workers, students and families to endure economic hardship.

He continued, “The poor are told there is no money for subsidy. Students are told to borrow. Lecturers are told to wait. Parents are told to endure.

“But when powerful and well-connected interests come knocking, government always appears capable of finding concessions, waivers and privileges.

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“The sacrifice has been collected from Nigerians in full. The promised benefits have not been delivered in full. So President Tinubu must answer the question that will not go away: Where is the money?”

He noted that the problem extended beyond federal universities, adding that several state-owned institutions had also experienced industrial disputes and disruptions.

He argued that the situation raised broader questions about the management of increased government revenues and the ability of the education system to cope with Nigeria’s growing youth population.

“You cannot boast about record allocations while students sit at home because lecturers are on strike.

“You cannot celebrate higher revenues when classrooms, laboratories, hostels and teaching facilities remain inadequate,” he said.

Atiku said the removal of subsidy had increased the financial burden on families at a time when the cost of university education was also rising.

“This government removed subsidy, increased the cost of transportation, food and virtually every other necessity, and watched the cost of university education rise beyond the reach of many families,” he said.

The ADC chieftain also criticised the administration’s student loan programme, saying the policy was being used to address a problem created partly by rising costs of living and education.

“After helping to make education more expensive, the same government created NELFUND and now celebrates giving young Nigerians loans to pay fees that many of their parents can no longer comfortably afford.

“What kind of reform first empties a family’s pocket and then offers the child a loan to survive the hardship government helped create?

“That is not progress. It is a vicious circle of government-manufactured poverty,” he said.

The former vice president further questioned the capacity of Nigerian universities to accommodate the growing number of young people seeking admission each year.

“Where are the new classrooms? Where are the laboratories? Where are the hostels? Where are the additional teaching facilities and expanded admission spaces required for Nigeria’s growing youth population?” he asked.

The Federal Government abolished the petrol subsidy shortly after President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, with the administration arguing that the policy had become too costly and that resources previously committed to subsidising petrol could be redirected to development.

The policy, however, triggered a sharp rise in petrol prices and contributed to increased transportation and living costs, while successive governments at the federal and state levels have highlighted increased statutory allocations arising from higher revenues.

ASUU’s latest concerns have consequently revived the long-running debate over the funding of Nigeria’s public universities, lecturers’ welfare and the implementation of agreements between the union and successive administrations.