Atiku outlines actions he would have taken as President
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently shared ideas on how he would approach Nigeria’s challenges if he were President. In an interview, he outlined a plan focused on economic growth, better security, and improvements in education and healthcare.
Atiku explained that many Nigerians have asked him what he would do differently as President. On his X account, he mentioned that these questions shift focus from what current President Bola Tinubu should do to ease the hardships that people are experiencing under his administration’s uncertain economic policies.
In a detailed statement titled “What We Would Have Done Differently,” Atiku listed his priorities, including fighting corruption and reforming the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). He believes the NNPCL benefits significantly from the existing system and requires restructuring. He also emphasized the need to upgrade Nigeria’s outdated refineries and suggested a gradual approach to subsidy reforms.
Atiku proposed a social support program to help low-income citizens manage the rising costs associated with economic reforms. He has long advocated for removing fuel subsidies, as he sees the current subsidy system as prone to corruption, with substantial profits going to powerful groups in both public and private sectors.
For him, tackling corruption would begin with restructuring the NNPCL to ensure it is capable of meaningful reform. He also noted that Nigeria’s refining system is inefficient, making it the least productive member of OPEC in terms of refining capacity. He would privatize state-owned refineries to ensure Nigeria could refine at least half of its crude oil, with an aim to export a portion to other West African countries.
He further explained that subsidy removal should be gradual, as it was when he was Vice President and helped implement early phases of the reforms before leaving office. Other countries, he pointed out, take similar slow approaches to subsidy adjustments, allowing time for people and the economy to adapt.
Finally, Atiku would set up a social safety program to support low-income households. The funds saved from reducing subsidies would be reinvested in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and rural development, as well as in expanding agriculture and job opportunities for young people.
