NIGERIA: Senator Adams Oshiomhole, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s promise to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Oshiomhole said Atiku had previously explained to him why petroleum subsidy should be removed when he served as vice president.
The former Edo State governor made the remarks in an interview with TVC on Tuesday while reacting to Atiku’s campaign promise to reverse the subsidy removal, reports Vanguard.
“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 management of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, recalling the former vice president’s 2023 position on the proposed privatisation of 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 privatised national oil company could operate while the government continued to determine the price of petroleum products sold by its 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 African Democratic Congress (ADC), has said he would restore fuel subsidy as part of his economic agenda if elected president in 2027.
The former vice president has argued that restoring the subsidy would help reduce the cost of living and make petroleum products more affordable for Nigerians.
Oshiomhole, however, said Atiku’s previous position on subsidy removal was at odds with his current campaign promise, raising questions about the consistency of the former vice president’s position on the policy.
