Atiku fuel subsidy debate deepens as ADC chieftain Oladimeji Fabiyi challenges Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim to offer a better alternative

The Deputy National Financial Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Oladimeji Fabiyi, has mounted a spirited defence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s renewed call for the restoration of fuel subsidy, urging Accord Party presidential hopeful Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim to offer Nigerians a credible alternative rather than criticise the proposal.

Fabiyi, an ally of Atiku, made the intervention as the debate over Nigeria’s petrol subsidy policy intensified following Atiku’s recent declaration that he would restore the subsidy if elected president in 2027.

The former vice president has argued that the current approach has imposed excessive hardship on ordinary Nigerians. His position has, however, drawn criticism from Olawepo-Hashim, who accused Atiku of reversing an earlier position on subsidy removal without adequately accounting for the change.

Olawepo-Hashim recently described Atiku as the “father of subsidy removal” in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and demanded an explanation for what he regarded as a significant change in position. He maintained that he had consistently opposed the removal of petroleum subsidies and favoured a targeted system designed to shield citizens and productive sectors from economic shocks. (-)

Fabiyi, responding to the criticism, said Atiku’s position had never been an outright rejection of subsidy removal. Rather, he argued, the former vice president had supported a more gradual approach.

“Did Atiku ever say he doesn’t support the removal of subsidy initially? No. He supported subsidy removal but with a caveat that it has to be phased, not the way Tinubu did it without thinking through it,” Fabiyi said.

The ADC chieftain said the manner in which the policy was implemented under President Bola Tinubu had contributed to mounting pressure on households and businesses, citing rising food prices, declining purchasing power and difficulties confronting small and medium-sized enterprises.

He also alleged that the subsidy regime had been poorly managed and had created opportunities for large-scale abuse, describing the alleged financial consequences as “monumental fraud”.

Fabiyi therefore challenged Olawepo-Hashim to move beyond criticism and explain how his own administration would handle the issue.

“Olawepo should tell Nigerians about his own policy direction on subsidy and stop interloping. Criticism is so easy, but what are you offering as a better alternative?” he asked.

The exchange comes against the backdrop of a broader political argument over whether Nigeria should maintain the subsidy-free petrol market introduced by the Tinubu administration or adopt some form of targeted intervention to cushion consumers.

Olawepo-Hashim has maintained that subsidy can be useful when intelligently designed and transparently administered. In his latest intervention, he proposed restoring support for petroleum and other strategically important products while linking such assistance to measurable economic outcomes and domestic productive capacity. (-)

The Accord Party figure has also argued that politicians who previously supported subsidy removal should explain what has changed before presenting themselves as opponents of the policy.

“There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. What is wrong is pretending that you never held the position in the first place,” Olawepo-Hashim said in his criticism of Atiku. (Leadership)

The historical dimension is central to the dispute. Olawepo-Hashim has recalled that Atiku served as vice president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo when the administration pursued fuel price increases and subsidy reforms in the early years of the Fourth Republic.

He has said he and other politicians opposed those measures at the time, arguing that his position against subsidy removal therefore predated the current political contest. (-)

Fabiyi, however, believes the present economic circumstances warrant a reassessment of how the policy is implemented rather than a rigid commitment to the approach adopted in the past.

He said Atiku’s renewed position followed what he described as a careful assessment of the economic consequences of the current policy and the hardship being experienced by Nigerians.

The dispute also reflects the increasingly competitive economic debate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition politicians seeking to distinguish their programmes from the Tinubu administration and from one another.

For Atiku and his supporters, the central argument is that economic reforms should not deepen hardship without adequate safeguards for vulnerable Nigerians. Olawepo-Hashim, meanwhile, has sought to position himself as a consistent advocate of targeted intervention while challenging politicians whose positions have changed. (-)

The debate is likely to remain prominent as the campaign gathers momentum, particularly as the cost of petrol continues to influence transportation, food prices, household spending and business operations.

Fabiyi said the priority should ultimately be to identify policies capable of easing the economic burden on Nigerians, insisting that political arguments should be matched by practical solutions.

He urged Olawepo-Hashim to study Atiku’s economic proposals before dismissing them, while maintaining that Nigeria requires leaders capable of confronting its economic difficulties with what he described as serious and workable policies.

The unfolding exchange has consequently turned the fuel subsidy question into more than a disagreement between two opposition figures.