Former Ekiti State Governor and ex-Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, has described the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar’s proposal on fuel subsidy as a political strategy similar to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election.
Fayemi made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday while discussing the ongoing debate over fuel subsidy and Atiku’s position on the issue.
“My take on that is that Atiku’s proposal of subsidy is politically equivalent to our own Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023. It’s a political strategy. It’s not an economic construct,” Fayemi said.
He, however, acknowledged that the proposal could resonate with Nigerians who have been adversely affected by the removal of petrol subsidy, saying vulnerable citizens were more concerned about their economic wellbeing than the technical arguments surrounding subsidy policy.
“But understandably, it’s a political strategy that will sell with those who are hard done by the impact of fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
Fayemi reiterated his support for the removal of fuel subsidy, saying he had advocated the policy for years, including during his tenure as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
“I was and I remain an advocate of fuel subsidy removal. As chairman of the governors’ forum, I spent four years in this battle,” he said.
He also said President Bola Tinubu inherited work that had already been substantially completed by the previous administration regarding subsidy removal, although he criticised the manner in which the policy was implemented.
“What President Tinubu inherited, in fairness to him, was the work that had already been completed by that administration. The only challenge I had with it was the way it was done,” Fayemi said.
According to him, state governors had previously worked with the Federal Government and the World Bank to develop a safety-net strategy aimed at cushioning the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians.
“However, as I have also consistently said, because at the Nigerian Governors Forum, we actually had a committee work with the federal government and the World Bank, by the way, to develop a safety net strategy that would address what would happen to the most vulnerable segment of our population,” he said.
Fayemi said the hardship being experienced by vulnerable Nigerians was what he believed Atiku was seeking to leverage politically with his subsidy proposal.
“I believe that’s what Vice President Atiku is taking advantage of. The vulnerable segment of the population is still hard done by,” he said.
He added that many Nigerians were less concerned about the technical details of subsidy removal than their ability to afford basic necessities.
“They just want to live reasonably well, eke out a living, have one or two meals a day, be able to send their kids to school, not be taken in by sickness or anything that might create further problems for them,” Fayemi said.
He further linked poverty and inequality to insecurity, saying they were “also at the root of the insurgency and the banditry that we’re dealing with.”
Fayemi concluded that, just as the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket was a political strategy aimed at maximising electoral support in 2023, Atiku was similarly seeking to benefit from public dissatisfaction over the effects of subsidy removal ahead of the 2027 election.
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