Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that United States President Donald Trump’s energy policy supports his proposal to restore fuel subsidy in Nigeria if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said his proposed intervention would not simply return Nigeria to the old subsidy system.
He said his plan would focus on supporting domestic production, expanding local refining and making petrol more affordable for Nigerians.
The former vice president made the position known on Sunday, September 6, 2026, through a statement issued by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu.
The statement was titled, “Atiku boasts of stakeholders, Trump support on fuel subsidy.”
Atiku said the idea behind his proposed “Production Subsidy” was to ensure that government support reaches local producers while also reducing the pressure of high fuel prices on consumers.
“This is why my Production Subsidy is about putting money back into people’s pockets. Support what we produce and refine here, increase supply, monitor the price and make sure Nigerians feel the benefit at the pump.
“CORAN is saying support domestic production. America understands the importance of supporting strategic energy production.
“Yet Tinubu attacks relief for ordinary Nigerians while his government understands perfectly well how to grant waivers, incentives and concessions to multinational oil companies and businesses close to his administration.
“So why does intervention suddenly become bad economics when ordinary Nigerians are meant to benefit?”
Politics Nigeria recalls that President Bola Tinubu removed the petrol subsidy shortly after taking office on May 29, 2023.
The decision immediately changed the price of petrol and was followed by sharp increases in transportation, food and other household expenses.
The Tinubu administration has consistently defended the decision, arguing that the subsidy was costly and had created opportunities for fraud, smuggling and the diversion of public funds.
Atiku has now positioned the return of government intervention as one of the major economic issues of his 2027 campaign.
He has argued that Nigerians should benefit directly from the country’s crude oil resources rather than continue to bear the full impact of international energy prices.
Atiku argued that the American example showed that government intervention in the energy sector should not automatically be treated as an economic mistake.
His argument is that Nigeria can provide targeted support without returning to a system in which large amounts of public money are spent subsidising imported petrol.
The former vice president has previously said his proposed subsidy would be tied to production and refining.
That means the government would support petroleum products produced locally while monitoring supply and prices.
0 Comments