Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to restore a targeted fuel subsidy for Nigerians if elected, insisting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has not completely eliminated government intervention in petrol pricing.

Atiku made the declaration in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

The former Vice President challenged the Federal Government’s claim that fuel subsidy had been removed, arguing that government-backed incentives and costs borne by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) suggest that some form of subsidy or price support remains.

Atiku cited NNPC’s audited financial statements, particularly its energy-security expenses, as evidence that the government continues to absorb costs linked to petrol pricing.

According to him, NNPC recorded about ₦4.84 trillion in energy-security expenses and related shortfalls in 2023, while the figure rose to approximately ₦7.13 trillion in 2024.

He argued that the figures expose what he described as a contradiction between the government’s subsidy-removal narrative and the financial realities surrounding petrol supply and pricing.

Atiku further accused the Tinubu administration of presenting subsidy removal as a major economic reform while providing tax credits and other incentives to oil-sector operators.

He maintained that his proposed approach would focus on a targeted subsidy mechanism designed to cushion the impact of high fuel prices on vulnerable Nigerians rather than returning to an uncontrolled subsidy regime.

“No amount of resistance from President Tinubu or millions of his gang of economic jesters can stop me from restoring a targeted fuel subsidy,” Atiku declared.

He said the policy would form part of his broader economic agenda if the ADC wins the 2027 presidential election, arguing that Nigerians should not be made to bear the full burden of rising energy costs while government continues to provide fiscal support within the petroleum sector.

The former Vice President also called for greater transparency in the management of petrol pricing and government expenditure, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know the true cost of the policies being implemented in the downstream oil sector.