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Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the restoration of fuel subsidies would depend on the situation on the ground when he becomes president.
Abubakar, who said this in a BBC interview monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), felt it was “not good” to scrap the entire subsidy at the same time.
The ADC candidate’s new stance on the issue represents a significant shift from his initial promise to restore full benefits as soon as he is sworn in, should he win the presidential seat in the 2027 elections.
He said that a “sudden withdrawal” of 100% of fuel subsidies was not right and believed that such a measure should rather be gradual.
It also highlights the need for consultation before such a decision can be made.
“We will meet with the population and examine the situation together. It will be gradual. Certainly not 100% as the current administration does,” he said.
According to him, a sudden reinstatement would be like a leap in the dark because “the facts are not known”.
He rejected insinuations that he was only trying to take advantage of the poverty of Nigerians to gain votes.
“It is not just about seeking votes. Talking about reviewing the removal of subsidies is not a desperate search for votes. I am concerned and actually trying to reduce the suffering of Nigerians to the bare minimum,” he said.
Abubakar said he had met with some economists about the withdrawal of subsidies and that the general opinion was that the measure had not brought much benefit to the poor.
“My feeling is that the federal government should have invested the money from eliminating subsidies to improve people’s welfare and well-being.
“They should also have been invested in security to counter insurrections and other crimes that afflict the country.
“On the contrary, security has not improved. There is unemployment. There is poverty, which is not good for a country like Nigeria, which is endowed with vast resources,” he said.
Abubakar blamed Nigeria’s insecurity on mismanagement of the situation and vowed to end the threat if he became president.
He said Nigeria’s security personnel population is inadequate and vowed to strengthen the military, police and other security outfits if given the opportunity to serve.
Abubakar said Nigeria has a total of about 200,000 security personnel looking after its more than 200 million population, saying this is a far cry from the more than one million security personnel committed to protecting Egypt’s 80 million population.
He also blamed the worsening security situation on bandits invading Nigeria from neighboring African countries and vowed to counter such invasions if elected.
Abubakar also explained why he had continued to vie for the top job in the nation.
“I continue to try to lead Nigeria because I feel things are not right and it is also my constitutional right to do so.
“My sights are still on that goal because I have the energy, experience, expertise and patriotism. I also believe I have something to offer. Furthermore, I am strong, agile and healthy,” he said.
Abubakar also spoke about the opposition’s strategy ahead of the polls and hinted at a possible consensus candidate.
“We are still talking to ourselves. At the right time, we will take the right step to work together,” he said.
