Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s planned 30-day petrol discount, describing it as a temporary measure that fails to address the persistent economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of introducing the initiative for political reasons ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His position was conveyed in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
The criticism followed Thursday’s announcement that petrol sold through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) would attract a temporary discount for an initial period of 30 days.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, had explained that the initiative was part of broader efforts to reduce fuel costs and stabilise prices. He described the arrangement as selling petrol at cost rather than reinstating a government subsidy.
However, Atiku dismissed the intervention, arguing that a one-month discount would provide only short-lived relief after years of high fuel prices and rising living costs.
“Atiku totally rejects this calendar-scheduled, election-laced subsidy package. Nigerians are not fools to be offered a month of discounted fuel after years of punishing prices and then expected to forget the hardship when the discount expires,” the statement said.
The former vice president described the policy as “not an economic plan but a political bandage on a wound the government had helped create.”
He also questioned what would happen when the discount period ends, warning that Nigerians could return to paying high prices for petrol, transportation and food.
“What happens on Day 31? Nigerians wake up to the same brutal prices, the same punishing transport fares and the same rising cost of food,” Atiku said.
“The government cannot manufacture relief for one month and expect Nigerians to applaud while the hardship remains,” he added.
Atiku further raised concerns about the scope of the initiative, noting that the discount was limited to NNPC filling stations.
He argued that the government had not clearly stated the amount consumers would save per litre or explained how any discounts offered to transport operators would lead to reduced fares for passengers.
The ADC candidate also maintained that the decision contradicted the administration’s earlier stance on intervention measures, arguing that his proposal for support tied to locally refined petroleum products offered a more sustainable alternative.
“This volte-face proves that the production-support proposal I have advanced is workable, achievable and not complicated,” he said.
According to Atiku, the government had previously dismissed his proposal as impractical but was now considering a temporary intervention because of the growing impact of high fuel prices on households.
He reiterated his call for a carefully structured and budgeted support programme linked to fuel refined in Nigeria, with safeguards to ensure that the benefits reach consumers while encouraging domestic refining.
Atiku insisted that Nigerians needed a lasting solution to the economic crisis rather than a temporary reduction in petrol prices.
“Nigerians need lasting relief, not a countdown to the return of hardship. Tinubu’s government cannot spend years telling Nigerians to endure, then offer 30 days of relief and call it a solution,” he said.
