The bankruptcy of desperate ambition, By Sunday Dare

To entertain Atiku’s hollow promise is to invite national economic suicide. The old import subsidy regime was not merely a pricing mechanism; it was a black hole of rent-seeking, round-tripping, and monumental corruption that starved health, education, and infrastructure of vital capital… Restoring it would instantly sabotage the nascent renaissance of local refining, crush private sector confidence, and plunge the country back into chronic foreign exchange haemorrhage. 

In the architecture of modern political opportunism, few spectacles rival the breathtaking hypocrisy of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s recent policy pivot.

To watch a self-styled statesman — who less than four years ago cast himself as an uncompromising apostle of market-driven reform — scramble to promise the reintroduction of petrol subsidies is nothing short of political apostasy.

This isn’t merely a tactical policy disagreement; it is a sordid, stingy manipulation of the public psyche, designed to hoodwink unsuspecting citizens through an unpardonable exploitation of temporary economic pain.

Atiku’s vacillation stands as a monument to a fading presidential ambition gone completely awry, exposing a man willing to burn down national economic stability for a fleeting headline.

A Chronicle of Political Duplicity

Let us refresh the collective memory of the Nigerian electorate, which Atiku so cynically presumes to be short. During the intense build-up to the 2023 general election, Atiku made the total removal of the fuel subsidy the absolute cornerstone of his economic manifesto.

He argued with unyielding conviction — repeatedly echoed across national media platforms, including broad coverage by outlets like Premium Times and The PUNCH — that the opaque, corruption-ridden import subsidy regime was bleeding the nation dry, enriching a parasitic cabal, and mortgaging the future of generations unborn.

Yet, as the political calendar ticks toward the next electoral cycle and the reality of his diminished prospects sets in, Atiku has engineered a shameless volte-face. The architect of yesterday’s fiscal discipline has overnight transformed into the high priest of populist pandering.

This radical reversal is the ultimate hallmark of a desperate politician who cares less about long-term fiscal sustainability and more about capturing power by any means necessary. It is a cynical bet that Nigerians have forgotten his own economic doctrine — a scorched-earth strategy that weaponises current hardships against the very structural reforms he once championed.

The Desperation of a Fading Ambition

Atiku’s career has long been shadowed by the relentless pursuit of the elusive presidency, an ambition that has increasingly degenerated into a reflex of contrarian posturing. When an administration undertakes the tortuous, necessary surgery of dismantling an unsustainable subsidy regime — a framework legally sealed by the Petroleum Industry Act — it inevitably invites short-term adjustment pains.

Rather than offering statesmanlike support or constructive alternatives, Atiku has chosen the path of political opportunism. His visible annoyance at the ongoing recovery across various sectors of our national life is telling.

The emergence of domestic refining capacity, the liberation of trillions of naira into the Federation Account for sub-national infrastructural development, and the steady weaning of the Nigerian economy from life-support leakages are milestones that threaten his political narrative. By promising to roll back these hard-won gains, Atiku reveals a transactional worldview: if he cannot rule, he would rather preside over ruins.

A Sordid Rebuttal to Economic Regression

To entertain Atiku’s hollow promise is to invite national economic suicide. The old import subsidy regime was not merely a pricing mechanism; it was a black hole of rent-seeking, round-tripping, and monumental corruption that starved health, education, and infrastructure of vital capital.

Restoring it would instantly sabotage the nascent renaissance of local refining, crush private sector confidence, and plunge the country back into chronic foreign exchange haemorrhage. Nigerians must reject this sordid narrative of regression.

True leadership requires the courage to defend difficult, foundational reforms even when the political weather is rough, rather than pandering to populist illusions for ballot-box validation.

Atiku’s hypocrisy is an insult to the collective intelligence of a resilient populace navigating global economic headwinds. By the Grace of God, this desperate gambit will fail, and all citizens of conscience must rise up to soundly repudiate this political innuendo.

Sunday Dare is the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.