A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has backed 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 Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, said the removal had placed severe pressure on Nigerians without delivering meaningful relief to ordinary citizens. He also called on the president to apologise for the hardship he believes the policy has caused.
In a statement issued in Minna on Sunday, Vatsa said political differences between Tinubu and Atiku should not prevent the government from considering the substance of the former vice president’s criticism.
“Even if you don’t like the messenger, you should at least take the message,” Vatsa said, arguing that the subsidy policy had contributed to rising poverty and worsening living conditions.
The APC chieftain claimed the benefits of the policy had largely been felt by state governors, political office holders and government appointees with access to public funds, while low-income Nigerians continued to struggle with rising living costs.
Vatsa also questioned how increased government allocations had translated into development. He pointed to abandoned projects, inadequate roads, schools and hospitals, while alleging that some public officials were spending heavily on luxury vehicles and private aircraft.
He argued that the problem with fuel subsidy was not necessarily the idea of government intervention, but the corruption and leakages associated with its administration. Rather than abolishing the subsidy entirely, he said the government should have focused on eliminating fraud within the system.
Vatsa urged Tinubu to rethink the policy and introduce measures capable of reducing the financial burden on Nigerians. His position comes amid an ongoing debate over the impact of subsidy removal, with government officials defending the reform as necessary for Nigeria’s long-term economic stability.
