A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has thrown his support behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy removal, urging President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the policy.
Vatsa, a former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, argued that the removal of the subsidy had increased the hardship facing ordinary Nigerians without delivering sufficient improvements in their living conditions.
In a statement issued in Minna, Vatsa urged the president to focus on the substance of Atiku’s argument rather than political differences between the two politicians.
He also called on Tinubu to apologise to Nigerians for what he described as the severe economic difficulties caused by the policy.
‘Subsidy Removal Has Hurt Ordinary Nigerians’
According to Vatsa, the benefits of the policy have largely failed to reach low-income Nigerians, while politicians and public officials with access to government resources have continued to enjoy increased revenues.
He alleged that the additional funds available to state governments had not resulted in enough improvements in roads, schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure.
The APC chieftain also criticised what he described as excessive spending by some public officials, claiming that luxury purchases and other forms of government expenditure had continued while several public projects remained incomplete.
Vatsa said the situation had placed enormous pressure on families and businesses, with many Nigerians struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
Vatsa: Fix Subsidy Corruption, Don’t Abolish It
Vatsa argued that the major problem with Nigeria’s fuel subsidy system was corruption and poor administration rather than the idea of government intervention itself.
He pointed to measures adopted by some countries to cushion citizens from rising energy costs, particularly following the Russia-Ukraine war, and said Nigeria could adopt similar approaches.
According to him, the government should have concentrated on eliminating leakages and corruption within the subsidy system instead of removing the policy entirely.
He further rejected the argument that subsidy removal was necessary simply to provide funds for salaries, pointing out that some state governments still owed workers and pensioners despite receiving increased allocations.
Vatsa ultimately urged President Tinubu to reconsider the policy and introduce measures capable of lowering fuel costs and easing the financial burden on Nigerians.
He maintained that political leaders should be willing to accept useful criticism regardless of who delivers it, insisting that the welfare of Nigerians should take priority over political rivalry.
