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From Ola Muhammad, Birnin Kebbi
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and petroleum marketer in Kebbi State, Alhaji Aminullah Mustapha, has criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over his proposal to reintroduce fuel subsidy if elected president.
Mustapha, who stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, described the proposal as an attempt to revive a system, which he said had been characterised by corruption, abuse and the diversion of public funds.
It could be recalled that the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said he would restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that Nigerians have not benefited sufficiently from the savings generated by the removal of the subsidy.
Atiku has also proposed a new model under which domestic refineries would receive crude oil at preferential prices, subject to conditions intended to ensure that the benefits reach consumers.
While reacting to the statement, Mustapha, a former ADC House of Representatives aspirant, alleged that the former subsidy regime was plagued by fraudulent practices involving oil marketers and the misuse of government funds.
According to him, “During the subsidy regime, a lot of funds allocated to oil marketers were not going to the designated areas. Funds were allocated to bogus marketers to transport oil tankers, but they ended up collecting the money without transporting any oil,” he alleged.
He further alleged that some petroleum tankers paid for under the subsidy arrangement ended up in neighbouring Niger Republic and Benin Republic, meaning that funds intended to subsidise petrol for Nigerians were allegedly benefiting consumers in other countries.
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“Some oil tankers which were paid for under the subsidy regime ended up in neighbouring countries such as Niger and Benin Republic. This means other countries were benefiting from the subsidy that was meant for Nigerians,” Mustapha said.
He also alleged that some depot owners received payments for imported petroleum products that were either not brought into the country or had not yet arrived.
“There are allegations that some depot owners were paid for imported petroleum products but failed to bring the products into the country. In some cases, they allegedly received payment before the imported products arrived in Nigeria,” he said.
The APC chieftain praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for removing the petrol subsidy, describing the decision as a courageous step towards addressing what he called longstanding corruption and inefficiencies in the system.
“President Tinubu was courageous and honest with Nigerians by removing the subsidy. Many Nigerian leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, know that the subsidy regime was marred by corruption, but because of political desperation, they do not want to tell Nigerians the truth,” he said.
Mustapha urged Nigerians to be wary of policies that could return the country to what he described as a wasteful and corruption-prone subsidy regime.
He said the government should instead focus on policies aimed at strengthening the economy, reducing inefficiencies and improving the welfare of Nigerians.
