Subsidy Debate: You Are The Egypt Nigerians Won’t Return To, Atiku Replies Tinubu

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his defence of fuel subsidy removal, accusing the president of being disconnected from the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

Atiku’s remarks followed Tinubu’s comparison of calls for subsidy relief to asking Moses to return to Egypt, a reference to the biblical account of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said Tinubu’s comparison failed to reflect the realities of Nigerians struggling with rising living costs.

“Bola, you are the Egypt Nigerians are desperate to escape,” Atiku said.

“You celebrate the day you made fuel more expensive, then lecture families struggling to pay for food and transport about why they must never go back.”

Atiku also accused the president of using biblical references to defend a policy he said had increased pressure on households, workers and businesses.

“At least Pharaoh knew he was holding people captive. Tinubu watches families cut meals, workers spend their salaries on transport and businesses struggle to keep their lights on, then tells them a story about Moses,” he said.

The former vice-president added that Nigerians needed practical solutions to the rising cost of living rather than religious metaphors.

“Bola, a mother trying to feed her children cannot pay for food with a metaphor. A worker cannot get to work on a story about the Red Sea. Nigerians are asking how you intend to make life affordable. Answer them,” Atiku said.

Atiku said he would introduce a limited and budgeted support programme for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerian consumers.

According to him, the proposed intervention would exclude imported fuel and operate under independent auditing to ensure that public funds translate into lower prices for consumers.

“My proposal is clear: give limited, budgeted support only to verified petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians. Imported fuel gets nothing,” he said.

He added that independent auditors would be required to track the expenditure and ensure that the benefits reached consumers.

“If it does not lower that price, it has failed its purpose,” he said.

The ADC presidential candidate also criticised the Tinubu administration over persistent insecurity, arguing that the president should be held accountable for the safety of Nigerians rather than attributing security challenges to the record of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku referred to comments reportedly made by Tinubu’s campaign Director-General, who questioned what the president could do about insecurity when a former military general such as Buhari had been unable to eliminate the problem.

“Let me remind them that President Yar’Adua was not a sergeant, yet he stamped it out,” Atiku said, referring to the security situation under former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

He said Nigerians expected the president to confront armed groups, rescue abducted citizens and restore confidence in road travel, farming and other daily activities.

“If Tinubu cannot tell them how he will do that after more than three years in office, he has no business asking for four more years,” Atiku said.

“The lives lost under his watch are not an argument about his predecessor. They are an indictment of his own leadership.”

Atiku further raised concerns about the welfare of serving and retired police officers, claiming that some personnel faced financial difficulties despite their responsibility for protecting the public.

He cited the case of a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police who, according to him, receives a monthly pension of ₦29,000.

The former vice-president also alleged that serving officers were drawing on their pension savings to meet household expenses.

He called on Tinubu to act on the Police Exit Bill and review the salaries of serving police officers, drawing a comparison with salary adjustments made for members of the Armed Forces.

“Bola, answer the retired officers asking for a pension they can live on. Act on the Police Exit Bill and review serving officers’ salaries, as was done for members of the Armed Forces,” he said.

Atiku added that police personnel needed adequate pay, healthcare and retirement benefits to enable them to perform their duties without placing their families’ financial security at risk.

Atiku, however, returned to Tinubu’s biblical comparison, arguing that the economic and security challenges facing Nigerians had made daily life increasingly difficult for many households.

“Stop pointing to Egypt as though it lies behind us. For millions of Nigerians, Egypt is the hunger, fear and indignity they are living through under you,” he said.

“They deserve affordable fuel, safe communities and police officers who can serve without sacrificing their families’ future.”

Atiku ended with a direct contrast between the president’s economic policy and his own proposed approach, saying: “Tinubu made life expensive. I will make life affordable again.”

The statement presents Atiku’s position on fuel subsidy relief, security and police welfare as part of his broader criticism of the Tinubu administration. The claims concerning police pensions, the effects of subsidy removal and the government’s security record were made by Atiku and were not independently verified in the statement.