Photo Credit: File Photos / The Sun Nigeria
Atiku’s Aide Knocks Fayemi Over ‘Political Strategy’ Comment on Subsidy Proposal
Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has taken a swipe at former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, for describing Atiku’s fuel subsidy proposal as a political gimmick.

Fayemi, in a recent interview on Arise TV, had said Atiku’s idea of a production-anchored subsidy “is the political equivalent of our own Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023. It’s a political strategy. It’s not an economic construct.”

While Fayemi maintained his support for fuel subsidy removal, he faulted the Tinubu administration’s implementation, citing lack of adequate safety nets for vulnerable Nigerians.

Reacting in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ibe said Fayemi’s comparison was “ridiculous” and an attempt to avoid the real issues in the debate.

According to him, every major economic policy has political implications, especially one that affects the livelihood of millions. The key question, he argued, should be whether the proposal makes economic sense.

Ibe clarified that Atiku, who is now presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is not advocating a return to the old, opaque subsidy regime bedeviled by fraud and questionable importer claims.

What Atiku is proposing, he explained, is a different model – a production-anchored subsidy built around domestic refining.

“Instead of subsidising an inefficient system dependent on imported petroleum products, the objective is to use a targeted and transparent mechanism to reduce the cost of locally produced fuel, encourage domestic refining, support productive capacity, create jobs, substantially reduce the cost of transportation and logistics and ultimately bring relief to Nigerian consumers,” Ibe said.

He challenged Fayemi to fault the proposal with facts – by showing its projected fiscal cost, explaining why the production-linked mechanism would fail, or pointing out its inflationary risks – rather than dismissing it as a political strategy.

Ibe added that if Fayemi’s logic holds, then every campaign promise made in a democracy could be dismissed as illegitimate because it was made during an election.

He stressed that subsidy removal cannot be treated in isolation, noting that removing subsidy without fixing domestic refining capacity, energy costs and transportation only shifts the burden from government to citizens.

The real debate, he said, should be about what is being subsidised, who benefits, the cost, how it is administered, and what economic objective it serves.

Atiku’s model, he noted, seeks to move Nigeria from an import-dependent, opaque and rent-seeking system to one that is transparent, production-driven, and focused on strengthening domestic refining through targeted intervention.

He urged Fayemi and other critics to engage the proposal on its economic merits:

“If it is bad economics, show Nigerians the numbers. If it is fiscally unsustainable, demonstrate why. If there is a better way to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel while protecting consumers and encouraging domestic production, put it on the table.”
Source: The Sun Nigeria –