Atiku cites survey showing 67.4% want fuel subsidy restored

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says a new SBM Intelligence survey showing 67.4% support for petrol subsidy restoration is a warning that Nigerians want relief from rising fuel and transport costs.

Atiku, in a Tuesday statement by his media aide Phrank Shaibu, said the finding showed public rejection of President Bola Tinubu’s subsidy removal policy and the pressure it has placed on households and businesses.

Vanguard reported that the survey listed petrol as the second-most cited national problem and as the Tinubu administration’s worst-rated policy issue, with a score of 1.69 out of four.

Atiku said petrol was a bigger concern in rural areas, where 32.4% of respondents identified it as their primary problem, compared with 11.7% in urban areas. He also cited higher concern in the South-West and South-South.

Daily Post reported that Atiku described the survey as more than an economic statistic and said responsible leadership should listen when citizens say a policy is hurting them.

He said his own alternative would not restore the old subsidy system, but would introduce a transparent production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold locally, subject to a spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits.

Sources: Vanguard, Daily Post