The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, accusing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of changing his position on the policy for political reasons.
Wike said Atiku had previously supported the removal of the subsidy but was now promising to restore it if elected President in 2027.
The FCT minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in the nation’s capital.
According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant, Lere Olayinka, Wike recalled that Atiku had pledged during the 2023 presidential election campaign to remove fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office if elected.
Wike questioned why Atiku, who had previously supported subsidy removal, was now promising to reverse the policy.
“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 accused Atiku of changing his position to appeal to voters ahead of the 2027 election.
Describing the former Vice President as a “voodoo economist”, Wike said Atiku was prepared to make different promises in his quest to become President.
“Atiku, who is confused, who acts like a voodoo economist, Atiku will say anything just to be president,” he said.
The minister said presidential candidates should show consistency in their policies and explain how their proposed policies would benefit Nigerians.
“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’s comments followed Atiku’s recent declaration that he would consider restoring the petrol subsidy if elected President in 2027.
The issue has become one of the major economic and political debates ahead of the next general election.
President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy shortly after his inauguration in May 2023, declaring that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
The decision immediately resulted in a sharp increase in the price of petrol and contributed to higher transportation costs and increases in the prices of food and other goods.
The Federal Government has defended the policy, saying the subsidy was too expensive and had created opportunities for corruption, smuggling and other distortions in the petroleum sector.
The administration has argued that money previously spent on subsidy payments could instead be used to fund infrastructure, social programmes and other government responsibilities.
Wike said the policy had increased the funds available to the three tiers of government through higher allocations from the Federation Account.
According to him, the Federal Government had explained how the additional revenue was distributed and state and local governments should account for how they used the funds.
He also claimed that the additional revenue had strengthened the ability of governments to pay salaries and pensions.
“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,” Wike said.
However, critics of subsidy removal have continued to argue that the policy has placed a heavy burden on Nigerians.
They have pointed to the increase in transport fares, food prices and other living costs since the subsidy was removed.
The controversy has therefore become a major campaign issue, with opposition politicians expected to propose different approaches to petrol pricing and the wider economy.
Wike also questioned the feasibility of restoring the subsidy under the current structure of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
He referred to the Petroleum Industry Act, which introduced major reforms aimed at transforming the sector and making it more commercially driven.
The minister also noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had replaced the former state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and had been structured as a commercial company.
“He (Atiku) 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, and no longer the sole importer or producer of fuel,” Wike said.
He also questioned whether a future administration could effectively subsidise petrol produced by the Dangote Refinery and other private refineries.
“Will Atiku, as President (Which he will never be), pay subsidy on fuel produced by Dangote Refinery?” he asked.
Wike said returning to government-controlled fuel prices would conflict with the direction of the Petroleum Industry Act.
He argued that such a move could create uncertainty for investors and reverse reforms intended to make the petroleum sector more competitive.
“Reintroducing government-controlled fuel prices would reverse this policy direction, create regulatory uncertainty and weaken investor confidence in the sector,” he said.
The minister also argued that subsidies had historically encouraged smuggling and other forms of abuse.
According to him, artificially low domestic fuel prices could encourage fuel to be moved across Nigeria’s borders for sale at higher prices in neighbouring countries.
He therefore challenged Atiku to explain what he would do with the savings generated by subsidy removal if he believed the policy should remain in place.
“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,’” Wike said.
Beyond the subsidy debate, the FCT minister also dismissed the suggestion that Atiku was among the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election.
Wike insisted that Tinubu remained the strongest candidate heading into the election.
“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates. You have only one leading candidate, and that’s Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” he said.
He also argued that the opposition was less united than it was during the 2023 election.
According to him, the opposition would struggle to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress if it failed to build a stronger and more united political platform.
“That’s why I say that 2027 is gone. It’s gone because you don’t have an opposition that wants to wrestle power from the government,” Wike said.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite his disagreement with the party leadership, has continued to play a prominent role in discussions about the 2027 political contest.
He was also asked about reports of an increase in armed robbery in Abuja.
The minister rejected the claim, saying available security reports did not support the suggestion that armed robbery had increased significantly in the Federal Capital Territory.
“I disagree with you that there are more armed robbery cases,” he said.
Wike acknowledged that isolated criminal incidents still occurred but said security agencies were responding to them.
He disclosed that the Department of State Services had tracked an individual allegedly impersonating security personnel and using fake materials to harass residents.
“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.
The minister urged the media and members of the public to exercise caution when reporting security incidents to avoid creating unnecessary fear.
On the infrastructure projects inspected during his visit, 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 one of the projects as a major intervention that could transform parts of Abuja and commended the contractors for the progress made.
Wike also said construction around the Mpape bypass and Garki axis had 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.
The minister also rejected calls for him to take responsibility for complaints about the performance of some Area Council chairmen.
He said the chairmen were elected by residents of their respective councils and should therefore be held accountable by the people who voted for them.
“They are the people who elected them. They should ask them. I am not there; I did not appoint them; they were elected,” Wike said.
He, however, acknowledged that some councils might have areas where their performance could be improved.
“I was one-time a council chairman,” he said, adding that it would be unfair to conclude that all Area Council administrations were doing nothing.