Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the federal government to account for savings from the removal of petrol subsidies, asking how the funds have been spent. In a statement issued Wednesday, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu administration of diverting attention from questions over public resource management by reviving allegations against him . He said Nigerians accepted higher petrol, transport and food costs on the promise that subsidy savings would fund development.
Atiku also questioned government incentives and tax concessions for businesses, asking, “Where is the people’s money?” He challenged the government to investigate and prosecute him if evidence of wrongdoing exists, rather than recycle past allegations . Atiku said the National Assembly had previously investigated power projects linked to his tenure as vice-president without inviting him to respond .
“The people who removed subsidy from the poor cannot frighten us into silence by resurrecting allegations that governments with all the investigative machinery of the Nigerian state have had nearly two decades to establish,” he said. “If you have evidence against Atiku, bring it. If you have a case, prosecute it. But if you have neither, stop manufacturing distractions and answer Nigerians: You removed the subsidy. You collected the savings. Where is the money?”
The winners: Atiku, who has positioned himself as a voice of accountability; and the Nigerian public, who are demanding transparency. The losers: the Tinubu administration, which faces fresh criticism over the management of subsidy savings; and the Nigerian economy, which suffers from a lack of trust in government.
Bottom Line: Atiku says: “Investigate me if you have evidence.” The government says: “Where is the money?” The subsidy debate continues. The question is who will blink first.