President Bola Tinubu has criticised the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, over his reported promise to restore the fuel subsidy regime if elected in 2027, describing such a position as a demonstration of “serious ignorance” about governance and the economy.
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Tinubu spoke while receiving Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, at the State House, Abuja, where he argued that the removal of petrol subsidy had significantly improved the financial position of states and enabled them to meet obligations that were previously difficult to fulfil.
Although the President did not initially mention Atiku by name, he referred to “one of my opponents” who had said he would return Nigeria to the subsidy regime.
“I saw one of my opponents now say he will go back to subsidy. I read it,” Tinubu said.
“That is demonstration of a serious ignorance on governance and economy.”
The President said that before his administration came into office, many state governments were unable to pay workers’ salaries and pension obligations because of the limited resources available to them.
According to him, as many as 27 states were struggling to pay salaries, while some also owed pensioners.
“Before I came here, 27 states are unable to pay salaries, not to even talk of pensioners, salary of workers,” he said.
Tinubu also made an apparent reference to former Osun State Governor and current ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, recalling the period when workers in the state received partial salaries.
“In your state, I know a man that I raised who is nicknamed half salary,” the President said.
He argued that the difficult financial condition of states under the subsidy regime forced governors to repeatedly approach the Federal Government for support.
“They came to the federal, cap in hand, unable to do anything,” Tinubu said.
He maintained that the removal of petrol subsidy had altered that situation by increasing the resources available to the three tiers of government.
According to the President, the improvement in public revenues had given state and local governments greater capacity to pay salaries, provide infrastructure and fulfil other responsibilities to citizens.
“The salary you pay feeds families,” he said.
Tinubu stressed that a significant proportion of Nigerians depend directly on state and local governments for essential services, making the financial health of those tiers of government critical to national development.
“Where are the local governments? They are in the states. Where are the concentration of population? They are in the states,” he said.
He listed roads, housing, school rehabilitation, hospitals, healthcare services and the training of teachers and health workers among the responsibilities that require adequate government funding.
“Take out the president, regard every other person as common men, their families to feed, the infrastructure you embark upon on the road network, housing, school rehabilitation, hospital, healthcare pronouncements, resuscitation of healthcare, training of teachers, training of health workers to protect our vulnerable families, it’s part of your responsibility,” Tinubu said.
The President therefore argued that restoring the subsidy regime would risk reducing the resources available to governments to meet such obligations.
Atiku had earlier indicated that he would restore fuel subsidy if elected president, arguing that its removal had contributed to rising living costs and worsening hardship among Nigerians.
Tinubu’s administration removed the petrol subsidy shortly after he assumed office in 2023, a decision that significantly increased fuel prices and contributed to higher transportation and production costs.
The Federal Government has, however, consistently defended the policy, saying the subsidy system was fiscally unsustainable and consumed resources that could otherwise be channelled into infrastructure, social services and development programmes.
Tinubu used his meeting with Adeleke to reinforce that position, maintaining that improved revenues to states since the subsidy removal demonstrated why the country should not return to the previous system.
His remarks also introduced a fresh policy fault line ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with subsidy and the broader cost-of-living crisis emerging as likely major campaign issues between the incumbent administration and opposition candidates.
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