By George Omagbemi
Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has renewed his criticism of the Federal Government’s handling of the petrol subsidy removal, saying he would restore the subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Atiku made the declaration while speaking to journalists on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, questioning what happened to the resources the government says were freed after the subsidy was removed in 2023.
The former vice-president said he initially did not oppose the removal of the subsidy, but argued that the savings should have been channelled into education, healthcare, security and poverty reduction.
He further alleged that the money had been “stolen” and said he would restore the subsidy if elected.
“Where is the money? They stole it. I will return fuel subsidy,” Atiku said.
The allegation, however, has not been established by a court or independent finding and should be understood as Atiku’s claim.
The development comes shortly after the Federal Government provided a fresh breakdown of the resources it says were generated following the subsidy removal.
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the removal generated ₦15.8 trillion in resources for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025. According to the government’s explanation, ₦5.4 trillion went to the Federal Government, while ₦10.4 trillion was shared among states and local governments through the Federation Account.
The government has also argued that the savings were not kept in a separate account labelled “subsidy savings” but became part of the broader resources available to the Federation.
The Presidency has previously rejected Atiku’s criticism, saying the most visible benefit of subsidy removal has been increased allocations to states and local governments.
Leave a Reply