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ATIKU’S SUBSIDY REVERSAL: DESPERATION FOR POWER MUST NOT ENDANGER NIGERIA’S ECONOMY — YILWATDA The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has condemned former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reverse the removal of petrol subsidy. Professor Yilwatda described the proposal as a troubling policy u-turn, saying it raises questions about the opposition’s preparedness to govern the country. The APC national chairman spoke during a visit to the headquarters of the City Boy Movement in Abuja, where he inspected the organisation’s facilities and interacted with its leadership. He said Nigerians deserve more than election-season declarations, stressing that any proposal to restore petrol subsidy must be subjected to rigorous scrutiny, considering the enormous fiscal burden and economic distortions created by the subsidy regime. Professor Yilwatda said the opposition had been challenged repeatedly over the past three years to present a clear alternative to the policies of the APC-led administration, but that no serious and convincing alternative had emerged. He questioned why the former vice president was only now, about four months before the 2027 general election, proposing a policy that could reverse what he described as difficult but necessary economic reforms. He said economic policy should not be reduced to election-season promises, adding that Nigerians deserve to know how such a policy would be financed and whether it could be sustained without reopening the fiscal pressures that necessitated the reforms. Professor Yilwatda maintained that the removal of petrol subsidy was a difficult but necessary decision, which should be accompanied by measures to cushion its impact, expand social interventions and strengthen productive sectors of the economy. In a statement by his special adviser on media and information strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC national chairman said true leadership was about taking difficult decisions, explaining them honestly to citizens and remaining committed to policies capable of delivering sustainable economic growth. He urged Nigerians to carefully examine competing economic programmes ahead of the 2027 elections and distinguish between policies designed to address structural problems and promises aimed mainly at securing short-term political advantage. Professor Yilwatda also criticised what he described as a lack of ideological and organisational consistency within the opposition, arguing that politicians who move continually from one political platform to another may find it difficult to provide the stability and clarity required to govern the country. He contrasted this with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he said has remained within the progressive political tradition throughout his political career, while vice president Kashim Shettima has also maintained a consistent political trajectory. The APC national chairman said the administration of President Tinubu had taken difficult economic decisions aimed at repositioning the economy, attracting investment, strengthening domestic production and reducing dependence on what he described as unsustainable government interventions. He warned that reversing the reforms without a credible alternative could undermine investor confidence, worsen fiscal pressures and jeopardise the gains being pursued by the administration. Professor Yilwatda also urged Nigerians to scrutinise the records and policy positions of those seeking the presidency ahead of the 2027 elections, saying issues of accountability and economic governance must not be ignored. He said the 2027 election should be a contest of ideas, competence and credible policy alternatives, rather than a competition over who can make the most attractive promises at the last minute.
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