Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the government’s measures to ease fuel costs, accusing him of adopting his proposed production subsidy plan while leaving out important elements.
In a statement directed at the president, Atiku recalled that Tinubu had previously questioned his understanding of economic policy when he proposed targeted support to reduce the burden of fuel costs on Nigerians.
The former vice president compared Tinubu’s alleged adoption of his proposal to a student copying another student’s examination answers and then claiming credit for the work.
Atiku argued that although the government had adopted the idea of a production subsidy, it had failed to implement the key components he believed were necessary to make the policy effective.
Addressing the president, he said:
“Bola, when I proposed targeted support to ease fuel costs, you called me ignorant of economic policy. You are like a dull student who copied his classmate’s answer. You have done it so blindly that the classmate’s name is at the top of his exam paper, and then you demand marks for original thinking.
“You copied my production subsidy proposal. Nothing wrong about that. You stripped away the part that makes it work and handed Nigerians a 30-day discount. You see why it is good to go to school?”
Atiku’s remarks have brought renewed attention to the disagreement over how best to address rising fuel costs and provide relief to Nigerians facing economic pressures.
His statement centres on the differences between his proposed production subsidy and the government’s reported short-term fuel-cost relief measures. However, the claims that the government copied his proposal and omitted essential elements reflect Atiku’s position in the ongoing policy debate.