Atiku Speaks Out as Tinubu Moves To Cut Transport Fares Nationwide: "Your Time Is Up"
- Atiku Abubakar's camp dismissed Tinubu's CNG conversion figures as proof of policy failure, not progress
- The statement, issued by Phrank Shaibu, said 120,000 conversions against 14 million vehicles is less than 1% of Nigeria's fleet
- Atiku's team accused Tinubu of only moving on transport costs now because elections are approaching
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected President Bola Tinubu's recent pledge to work with state governors to bring down public transport fares, saying the move is too late and only came because of mounting electoral pressure.
In a statement sighted by Legit.ng and released on August 28, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the Federal Government's own CNG conversion figures expose how little the administration has achieved since removing fuel subsidy.
Source: Twitter
Atiku calls 120,000 conversions a 'score sheet of failure'
The statement pointed to the government's disclosure that roughly 120,000 vehicles have been converted to compressed natural gas (CNG) in over three years.
Against estimates of about 14 million vehicles on Nigerian roads, Atiku's camp said that figure represents less than one per cent of the country's vehicle population.
"If a student returned less than one per cent in his core subject, WAEC would not call it progress. No university would call it excellent performance. Yet Tinubu wants Nigerians to reward the political equivalent of that catastrophic score with another four years," the statement read.
Atiku argued that CNG, while potentially useful, cannot fix a purchasing-power crisis. He said a cheaper bus is meaningless if passengers can no longer afford the fare.
"CNG can make a converted bus cheaper to operate. It cannot make a poor Nigerian richer," the statement said. "Go to the motor parks. Nigerians are travelling less because they cannot afford to travel."
Atiku to Tinubu: 'Medicine after death'
Atiku's camp accused Tinubu of ignoring calls for relief for over three years, only to announce transport-cost interventions as the 2027 elections draw closer.
The statement said the administration had previously criticised Atiku's proposal for a production-based subsidy, but now appeared to be adopting the same logic.
"This is medicine after death. You cannot break a man's leg, abandon him in pain for three and a half years, then return with crutches and demand applause for compassion," the statement said.
The former vice president called for a targeted fuel subsidy linked to domestic production, which he said would be transparently budgeted, independently audited, and designed to benefit ordinary Nigerians rather than politically connected interests.
Source: Twitter
"Tinubu manufactures hardship and distributes palliatives. Atiku will attack hardship at its source," the statement added.
Atiku, who was ratified as the presidential candidate of the New Democrats Coalition (NDC) in May 2026, used the statement to sharpen his economic argument ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the country's transport problem is ultimately a cost-of-living crisis that cannot be solved by changing the fuel inside a bus.
The statement closed with a direct challenge to the President:
"Nigerians have paid enough for your economic experiment. Too little. Too inadequate. Too late. Your time is up."
Atiku disowns aide's comments on fuel subsidy
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, publicly distanced himself from remarks made by one of his media aides on the question of fuel subsidy.
The former vice president reaffirmed that he will restore the policy if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Source: Legit.ng
