Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A.

Veterinarian. JBA Alumni. Humanitarian-Development and Peace Advocate. Emergency & Resilience Livelihood Expert.

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

The Almighty will get you there. Never doubt that. He will open doors you never imagined; place the right people in your path and grant you the ability to move on henceforth. You need to trust Him and do the best you can. Understand His Plan and read His signs. You’ll be okay!

[Gimbiya @FaiyitSylvester]

The ADC VP candidate is a material 👌🏾

[CRA Advocacy Network @CRA_Advocacy]

SUBSIDISING THE BARREL, NOT THE PUMP: HOW THE ATIKU-AMAECHI TICKET PLANS TO RESCUE NIGERIA FROM TINUBU'S ECONOMIC ARSON

By: Sopriala Membere (@SoprialaMembere) Columnist, Scholar and Member CRA Advocacy Network
—————————————————

There is a particular cruelty in economic policies that punish the poor while pretending to liberate them. On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu stood at Eagle Square and, with a single sentence "subsidy is gone"—unleashed a shockwave that has since consumed the livelihoods of  millions of ordinary Nigerians. The price of petrol tripled overnight from approximately ₦200 to ₦617 per litre, and has since climbed past ₦1,300.  Inflation surged to 34% by late 2024, which prompted a rebasing of figures to cover-up the effect the poor and whimsical implementation of the subsidy removal policy. Food inflation averaged 32%, and the poverty rate climbed from less than 40% to between 61% in 2024 and 63% in 2025, pushing an additional four million Nigerians into destitution in less than two years.  The IMF, while praising the "structural reform," quietly noted that the Tinubu government had partially reversed the subsidy removal by capping retail fuel and electricity prices, implementing civil service wage awards, and suspending VAT on diesel—an admission that the so-called shock therapy had inflicted more pain than the economy could bear.  

Yet the most devastating indictment lies not in the poverty statistics but in the government's own accounts: the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recorded approximately ₦4.84 trillion in "Energy Security Expenses" in 2023 and ₦7.13 trillion in 2024—figures that raise the unavoidable question of whether subsidy was truly abolished, or merely renamed and buried in opaque ledger entries. 

This is the context in which the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP) must be understood—not as a retreat from reform, but as a rejection of economic sadism masquerading as an an economic policy. Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has proposed something that sounds heretical in Nigerian policy circles: a production subsidy that follows the barrel from crude allocation through refining to the Nigerian consumer. "We will move subsidy from importation to production, from middlemen to Nigerian refineries, and from unverifiable claims to verifiable barrels," he declared.  The philosophy is elegantly simple. Under the AERP, qualifying public and private Nigerian refineries would receive domestic crude at a preferential prices to be paid in Naira, subject to strict production, efficiency, transparency, and domestic-supply conditions in line with the PIA. No refinery would receive subsidised crude without independently verified proof that corresponding petroleum products are supplied to the Nigerian market under a transparent pricing formula. Crude allocation, refinery intake, production yields, inventories, and domestic deliveries would be reconciled. Every subsidised barrel would be traceable from allocation to the pump. 

This is not a return to the old subsidy regime; it is its antithesis. The old regime subsidised consumption—paying marketers for imported petroleum products that often existed only on paper, creating an over ₦3.5 trillion annual drain that benefited middlemen more than motorists and ordinary Nigerian commuters The AERP subsidises productivity—lowering the cost of domestic refining so that Nigerian crude is refined in Nigeria, by Nigerians, for Nigerians. It is the difference between feeding a parasite and nourishing a patient.

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[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

@Diplomat_01 Aameen

[Abu Jabir Penabdul @PenAbdull]

Arziki na Allah ne, babu mai azurtawa sai Shi kadai. Ku nema daga gare Shi ba daga wanin Sa ba.

[Ahmed Ibrahim @AhmedIbrah99223]

Going by Atiku’s policy, Dangote will be assured of a constant supply of crude at a discounted rate to his facility, guaranteeing cheaper fuel for Nigerians.

At this point, if PMS is sold for N500–N600 per litre, I’m sure Nigerians will welcome it with great joy and excitement.

[Deedaat Esq FICMC. @deedatAhmadd]

Thank you Atiku Abubakar the Imam in this jumuat mosque is narrating the practical importance of bringing back the fuel subsidy, see joy in people faces.
@atiku please bring back this fuel subsidy when you assume office.

[Maximo Torero @MaximoTorero]

Zero Hunger is a commitment to hold governments and the international community accountable for the universal right to food -- a battle cry to rally support and push countries into action. My interview with
@MelissaFleming:
https://t.co/H9lpiHcfDq

[Gimbiya @FaiyitSylvester]

I’m for Atiku, I’m for a better Nigeria.

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

I believe the debate should be about Nigerians, not political narratives. Atiku promised to review and restore subsidy to cushion the hardship of its removal. Local refining is commendable, but what matters most is affordable fuel and a better standard of living. If a policy hurts Nigerians, it must be reviewed.

[cea scent @Udehchukwudi12]

@abuajmal82 @channelstv You really understand how government work
Respect my brother 🙏🙏

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

Political appointments are not a substitute for good governance. Kano people will ultimately judge President Tinubu by the impact of his policies on their lives—jobs, food prices, security, infrastructure and the economy—not by the number of appointments given to a few individuals. Democracy is about the people, not political patronage.

[Oluwaseun Ajede @oluwaseun_ajede]

A lot of car owners in Abeokuta now keep petrol in jerrycans in their boots.
People are increasingly running out of fuel on the road. It wasn’t like this before.
#Bring back our subsidy!

[Diplomat @Diplomat_01]

THE PRESIDENCY IS IN TURMOIL!

ATIKU IS COMING…

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

The real issue is not whether Atiku has changed his position on subsidy; politicians are entitled to review their policies. The real question is whether the proposal is economically sustainable and whether Nigerians will be told honestly who pays the bill.
If subsidy is to return, let us see the full cost, funding source, legal framework and safeguards against the corruption and leakages that plagued the old regime. Nigerians deserve facts, not political slogans. The hardship facing citizens is real, but sustainable solutions should not recreate the same fiscal problems we are trying to escape.

[Joshua Bangi @JoBangis]

From the markets to motor parks, from Mai Shayi to Indomie sellers, football viewing centres to Keke riders everywhere you go, Nigerians are discussing Atiku’s promise to bring back fuel subsidy.2027 is already becoming a conversation about solutions and relief for Nigerians.

[Royalty E. Uso @royaltyuso]

The presidency is in disarray!

Atiku is coming.

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

Subsidy policy should be debated on its economic merits, not reduced to political name-calling. Nigerians deserve to know the full cost of every policy, who bears it, and who benefits. If Atiku’s proposal is wrong, let the facts and figures prove it—not accusations of hypocrisy. The real test of leadership is offering Nigerians a credible, sustainable alternative.

[Dr. Usman, Abdullahi A. @abuajmal82]

@FaiyitSylvester Aameen Ya rabb. May @atiku succeed.

[Yohanna Nuhu @nuhuyohanna39]

For Northerners who understands Hausa, be there 👌