Tinubu, APC Defend Fuel Subsidy Removal, Reject Atiku’s Restoration Plan
President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress have defended the removal of fuel subsidy, describing it as a difficult but necessary reform that redirected government resources towards development. Speaking at the second APC Professionals Forum Policy Roundtable in Abuja, National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, who represented Tinubu, said the administration inherited subsidy distortions, multiple exchange-rate windows, weak revenue collection, foreign-exchange shortages, rising debt-service costs and years of underinvestment in infrastructure when it assumed office in May 2023. Yilwatda said external reserves had risen to about $52.7 billion by August 2026, while consolidated non-oil revenue increased from about ₦13.63 trillion in 2023 to ₦16.4 trillion in the first two quarters of 2026. He also cited an improvement in merchandise trade from a ₦44.8 billion surplus in 2023 to about ₦7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, alongside second-quarter GDP growth of 4.43 per cent and inflation of about 15.4 per cent. He linked the reforms to Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, highlighting proposed transport corridors, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, NELFUND, technical training and CREDICORP as efforts to translate economic growth into wider prosperity.
Yilwatda urged Nigerians to decide in 2027 whether to consolidate the reforms or reverse them, saying the APC stood for productivity, investment, infrastructure, innovation, exports and human capital development under Tinubu. Also speaking, former Bauchi State governor and Chairman of the APC Professionals Forum Board of Trustees, Isa Yuguda, said a committee he chaired in 2009 had uncovered irregularities, fraudulent practices and financial leakages in the subsidy system. He argued that the regime consumed resources that could have been invested in education, healthcare, agriculture, security and infrastructure. Yuguda said Tinubu showed the political courage to implement a reform previous administrations had considered necessary but struggled to execute, adding that more than ₦15 trillion had reportedly been saved. He acknowledged continuing security challenges linked to porous borders and instability in neighbouring countries, calling for stronger intelligence and regional cooperation. Responding to Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy, Yuguda warned that although it might offer short-term relief, returning to the old system could recreate leakages and drain public finances. He therefore urged Nigerians to make the 2027 election about achievements, policies and realistic solutions.
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