Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his reported plan to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Wike spoke on Thursday in Abuja while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in the Federal Capital Territory.
He accused Atiku of changing his position for political reasons, recalling that the former vice president had promised during the 2023 presidential campaign to remove fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office.
Atiku had said in 2022 that fuel subsidy was unsustainable and that savings from its removal would be redirected to development.
Wike described Atiku as a “voodoo economist” and questioned why he would now support restoring a policy he previously opposed.
“Leadership is not you coming out, you say one thing now in the morning, in the afternoon you say a different thing,” Wike said.
The minister also argued that restoring subsidy would conflict with reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act, which transformed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation into NNPC Limited and requires it to operate on a commercial basis.
Wike defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the subsidy, saying the policy had increased allocations to the federal, state, and local governments and improved their ability to meet salary and pension obligations.
He also dismissed Atiku as a leading contender for the 2027 presidency, insisting that President Tinubu remained the dominant candidate.
“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates. You have only one leading candidate, and that’s Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” he said.
Wike further rejected claims of rising armed robbery in Abuja, saying security reports did not support the allegation, while acknowledging isolated incidents of crime.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress of ongoing FCT infrastructure projects, saying several major projects were expected to be completed before the end of the year.
