- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike attacked Atiku Abubakar over his fuel subsidy position during an infrastructure inspection tour in Abuja on Thursday
- Wike declared that the opposition lacked the unity needed to mount a serious challenge against the ruling government ahead of 2027
- The minister defended Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy, arguing it boosted government revenue for states and local councils
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a “voodoo economist,” accusing him of shifting positions on fuel subsidy policy, while insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains the frontrunner heading into the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the remarks on Thursday during a media briefing held while he inspected infrastructure projects across Abuja.
Wike questions Atiku’s fuel subsidy stance
Tribune reported that the minister trained his sharpest criticism on Atiku’s economic policy record, particularly his position on fuel subsidies. Wike argued that the structural changes brought about by the Petroleum Industry Act had made any return to a broad subsidy regime impossible to implement.
He pointed out that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had been commercialised and no longer served as the sole importer or distributor of refined petroleum products. With private refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, now part of the supply chain, Wike questioned how any administration would practically subsidise fuel produced outside government control.
The minister praised Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, crediting the reform with significantly growing government revenues and improving monthly allocations to federal, state, and local governments. He argued that without this move, Nigeria would have continued to grapple with crippling industrial strikes, salary arrears, and unpaid pensions.
Opposition lacks unity, Wike says
Beyond the subsidy debate, Wike challenged the credibility of the opposition heading into 2027. He maintained that simply fielding candidates across political parties does not constitute a functional opposition, saying genuine opposition must be built around a shared and coherent alternative to the sitting government.
In his view, the current opposition is too fragmented to pose any real threat to the Tinubu administration at the polls.
Despite defending the government’s economic decisions, Wike turned attention to accountability at the sub-national level. He urged Nigerians to scrutinise how state governors and local government chairmen spend the increased allocations flowing from the subsidy reform, calling on citizens to demand that these funds translate into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
Source: Legit.ng