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    Atiku Slams Tinubu For Secret Return Of Fuel Subsidy

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    Former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over the alleged reinstatement of fuel subsidy under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, despite the administration’s protestations to the contrary.

    Atiku, in a statement issued on X.com (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, challenged the government to provide clarity on the issue

    Abubakar also questioned the transparency of the Tinubu administration’s approach.

    He said, “Like millions of Nigerians, I was shocked to learn through media reports that the “government is still supporting downstream consumption.”

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    He highlighted discrepancies in the government’s claims of abolishing the subsidy, juxtaposing it with reports of ongoing subsidy payments and the emergence of fuel queues across the country.

    Abubakar stated, “I had in my statement reviewing the one year of the Bola Tinubu administration urged the government to come clean on the actual position of the subsidy policy.

    “These were my exact words: “…provide clarity on the fuel subsidy regime, including the fiscal commitments and benefits from the fuel subsidy reform and the impact of this on the Federation Accounts.

    “It is curious that since April 2024, fuel queues have mounted at many filling stations across Nigeria, and the infamous ‘black market’ has sprouted in several states.

    “How much PMS is being imported and distributed, and at what cost? What is the implicit subsidy?”

    He further emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “If the subsidy regime had been characterised by opaqueness, what would we say of a situation where the subsidy is still being paid under the cover without Nigerians in the know?”

    The former Vice President expressed shock at reports indicating that the government is still subsidizing downstream consumption despite previous claims of abolishing the subsidy.

    He cited projected expenditures on fuel subsidy, which are expected to reach N5.4 trillion in 2024, compared to N3.6 trillion spent in 2023, the same year Tinubu announced the abolition of fuel subsidy.

    Abubakar condemned what he perceived as deceptive practices by the government, asserting, ” Now we know that expenditure on fuel subsidy may reach N5.4 trillion in 2024, compared to the N3.6 trillion spent in 2023, the same year that Tinubu claimed to have abolished fuel subsidy.

    “I wish to restate that Nigeria is not working, and what we have had in a little over a year is a cocktail of trial-and-error economic policies.

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    “Paying subsidies and lying about it is nothing to brag about. Nigerians deserve better than this deception.”

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