Subsidy: Atiku Is Confused, Going Back To What He Called Fraud — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of inconsistency over his position on fuel subsidy, alleging that the former presidential candidate was attempting to reverse a policy he had previously supported.

Wike spoke on Thursday in Abuja while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in the FCT.

The minister recalled that Atiku had pledged in 2022 to remove fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office if elected president, but was now advocating its restoration.

“Now, in 2026, he is not going to remove the fuel subsidy. Is he going back to the fraud, which he had alleged that fuel subsidy was?” Wike asked.

He described Atiku as a “voodoo economist,” accusing him of changing his position to suit political circumstances and appeal to voters.

“Atiku, who is confused, who acts like a voodoo economist, Atiku will say anything just to be president,” Wike said.

The FCT minister said anyone seeking the presidency should demonstrate consistency in policy positions rather than changing them according to prevailing political considerations.

“Leadership is not you coming out, you say one thing now in the morning, in the afternoon you say a different thing, in the night you are talking of a different thing. That is not it,” he said.

Wike also questioned how a future administration would restore fuel subsidy under the current structure of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, particularly following the commercialisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the emergence of the Dangote Refinery.

According to him, the Petroleum Industry Act transformed the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation into NNPC Limited and ended its position as the country’s sole fuel importer and producer.

“He is living in the past. If not, he will know that with the Petroleum Industry Act, NNPC is now fully commercialised. It has transformed the old NNPC into a limited liability company (NNPC Limited), and no longer the sole importer or producer of fuel,” Wike said.

He further asked whether Atiku, if elected president, would pay subsidy on petroleum products produced by private refiners such as the Dangote Refinery.

“Will Atiku, as President, pay subsidy on fuel produced by Dangote Refinery?” he asked.

Wike argued that restoring subsidy would run contrary to the policy direction established by the Petroleum Industry Act, which seeks to create a commercially driven and competitive petroleum sector based on market principles.

He warned that reintroducing government-controlled fuel prices could create regulatory uncertainty, undermine investor confidence and recreate distortions associated with the former subsidy regime.

According to him, fuel subsidies have historically encouraged smuggling, arbitrage and inefficiency while reducing revenues available to the Federation Account.

Wike challenged Atiku to explain how he would utilise the savings generated by subsidy removal if he believed the policy should continue.

“All I thought he would have argued, ‘Yes, I still believe in the removal of fuel subsidy, and I think that the savings made would have been utilised in this way or that way,’” he said.

The minister defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, saying the policy had increased allocations to the different tiers of government.

He said the federal government had explained how the additional funds were distributed and challenged state and local governments to account for how they deployed the increased revenue.

Wike also claimed that the policy had improved governments’ ability to meet salary and pension obligations.

“Nobody talks about non-payment of pension, nobody talks about non-payment of salary. Before, for you to pay salary, you would beg and beg the banks to give you money. But all those things are things of the past,” he said.

On the 2027 presidential election, Wike dismissed the suggestion that Atiku was among the leading opposition contenders, insisting that Tinubu remained the dominant candidate.

“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates,” he told journalists. “You have only one leading candidate, and that’s Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.”

He also argued that the opposition was not sufficiently united to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming that the opposition was stronger in 2023 than it is currently.

“That’s why I say that 2027 is gone. It’s gone because you don’t have an opposition that want to wrestle power from the government,” Wike said.

The minister also rejected reports suggesting that armed robbery had increased in Abuja, saying available security reports did not support such a conclusion.

While acknowledging isolated incidents of crime, he said security agencies were responding to them and urged the media to exercise caution when reporting security developments.

“I’m not saying there are no one or two incidents of crime, but to say the armed robbery has increased in Abuja, I don’t agree,” he said.

Wike disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracked an individual allegedly impersonating security personnel and using fake materials to harass residents.

He said genuine cases of armed robbery would ordinarily be reflected in reports submitted by security agencies.

Speaking on the infrastructure projects he inspected, Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of work and said several major projects were expected to be completed before the end of the year.

He described some of the projects as major interventions capable of transforming parts of the capital city and commended the contractors for the progress recorded.

Wike said construction around the Mpape bypass and Garki axis had also helped reclaim land previously affected by a gully.

“We are satisfied with what we have seen. We’re very impressed that the promises made to our people are being fulfilled. Again, it’s what the whole agenda is all about,” he said.

On complaints about the performance of some Area Council chairmen, Wike said the chairmen were elected by residents of their respective councils and should therefore be held accountable by their constituents.

“They are the people who elected them. They should ask them. I am not their—I did not appoint them, they were elected,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged that some councils could improve their performance, noting that he had previously served as a council chairman and understood the challenges associated with administering local councils.