The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy, accusing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of inconsistency over his position on the policy.

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Wike criticised Atiku on Thursday in Abuja while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in the FCT, recalling that the former VP had pledged to remove fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office if elected in 2023, but was now promising to restore it.

According to a statement issued and signed by the minister’s Senior Special Assistant, Lere Olayinka, Wike questioned Atiku’s rationale for seeking to reverse a policy he had previously supported.

“Now, in 2026, he is not going to remove the fuel subsidy. Is he going back to the fraud, which he had alleged that fuel subsidy was?” Wike asked.

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Describing Atiku as a “voodoo economist,” Wike accused him of changing his positions to appeal to voters.

“Atiku, who is confused, who acts like a voodoo economist, Atiku will say anything just to be president,” Wike said.

He argued that presidential aspirants should demonstrate consistency in their policies rather than adjust their positions to suit political circumstances.

“Leadership is not you coming out, you say one thing now in the morning, in the afternoon you say a different thing, in the night you are talking of a different thing. That is not it,” he said.

Wike also questioned how Atiku intended to reintroduce fuel subsidy given the transformation of Nigeria’s petroleum industry following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act and the commercialisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

“He (Atiku) is living in the past. If not, he will know that with the Petroleum Industry Act, NNPC is now fully commercialised. It has transformed the old NNPC into a limited liability company, and no longer the sole importer or producer of fuel,” Woke said.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria