Presidency, Atiku clash again over fuel subsidy and the economy

The Presidency has again traded words with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the economy, this time questioning his understanding of the subject and recalling that he once worked as a sanitary inspector.

The attack came from Bayo Onanuga, the Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, in a post on his verified X account. It followed Atiku's proposal to restore fuel subsidies.

According to Onanuga, Atiku's only qualification before he joined the Nigerian Customs Service was as a sanitary inspector. He wrote that Atiku "know[s] nothing about economics" and described the subsidy proposal as a regressive policy that would set the country back by more than 20 years.

The presidential aide was reacting to comments by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who had accused Atiku of trying to reverse Nigeria's economic reforms for political gain. The Presidency insists Tinubu's reforms are delivering results.

Why it matters to ordinary Nigerians

Fuel prices have shaped daily life since the subsidy was removed. Transport fares, food costs and the price of running a generator all move with the pump price, so any talk of bringing the subsidy back is followed closely in markets and motor parks.

Atiku, now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has kept up his criticism of how the government is managing the economy ahead of the 2027 elections. The back-and-forth suggests the economy will remain the main battleground between the two camps.

Neither side has published a detailed cost estimate for restoring the subsidy, and the sources did not say what Atiku's full proposal contains.

What happens next

Expect more exchanges between the Presidency and Atiku's camp as the 2027 campaign gathers pace. For now, the argument is about words and records rather than any announced change in policy, and the subsidy remains removed.