Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027 as “deception”, arguing that such a policy would be unrealistic and damaging to Nigeria’s economy.
Sani, who spoke during a press conference in Abuja, said Nigeria could not afford to return to a subsidy regime which, according to him, had previously consumed trillions of naira while fuelling corruption and the smuggling of petroleum products.
He said instead of bringing back subsidy, political leaders should concentrate on rehabilitating Nigeria’s refineries and ensuring that the country processes its crude oil domestically.
According to him, Nigeria had spent between N3 trillion and N4 trillion on petroleum subsidies, describing the expenditure as economically unsustainable for a major oil-producing nation.
“I don’t think any candidate that is worthy of leadership should pull us back to that era,” Sani said.
He alleged that the subsidy arrangement had also been exploited by certain individuals who diverted government resources under the pretext of importing petroleum products into the country.
Sani further argued that subsidised petroleum products were smuggled into neighbouring countries, where they were sold at higher prices, denying Nigerians the intended benefits of the subsidy policy.
He questioned the logic of Nigeria continuing to export crude oil, import refined petroleum products and subsequently spend its limited foreign exchange on subsidising the imported products.
“If any politician makes pledges of revamping our refineries so that we can be able to refine our own crude oil, then he’s making sense,” he said.
“But a politician that has been in the economic field for a very long time telling us that the way forward for us as an oil-producing country is to continue to import all petroleum products and again use our own foreign currency to subsidise it for our people to consume, for how long can we continue to do that?”
Sani acknowledged that the removal of fuel subsidy had created considerable hardship for Nigerians but maintained that returning to the former arrangement was not the appropriate response.
“The return of subsidy will not bring down the prices of commodities. It will simply distort the economic stability of our country,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to make the ongoing economic reforms more people-oriented, arguing that Nigerians should not be left to shoulder the consequences of the reforms while political leaders continue to maintain expensive lifestyles.
According to him, reducing the size and cost of government, alongside sacrifices by members of the executive and legislature, would be necessary to show Nigerians that the burden of the economic reforms was being fairly distributed.
Sani also advocated increased investment in domestic refining, pointing to the Dangote Refinery as an indication of what local refining capacity could offer the country.
He questioned the continued importation of refined petroleum products when private investment had already established a major refinery capable of processing crude oil within Nigeria.
“We should not just talk about importing petroleum products,” he said, stressing that Nigeria could not attain genuine economic independence while exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
The former senator also spoke on the 2027 general elections, calling on political parties and candidates to base their campaigns on issues, policies and programmes rather than ethnic, religious or sectional considerations.
He cautioned that deploying ethnic and religious sentiments against political opponents could weaken national cohesion and threaten the country’s stability.
“At this time of our country’s life, we should assess, analyse, and elect leaders based on what they stand for and what they can deliver for us as a country,” he said.
Sani also criticised opposition politicians who seek foreign backing or intervention in Nigeria’s political affairs, saying political parties should appeal directly to Nigerian voters instead of looking to foreign governments and institutions for validation.
He said Nigeria’s democracy had endured several difficult periods and expressed confidence that the 2027 elections could be conducted transparently and credibly.
The former senator, however, raised concerns over what he described as pessimistic predictions about Nigeria’s future ahead of the election, urging political actors to place the unity and stability of the country above their personal political interests.
On the 2027 presidential contest, Sani said he favoured the emergence of a southern presidential candidate, arguing that political power should continue to rotate among Nigeria’s different regions.
He said such an arrangement was important for respecting the country’s diversity and maintaining political balance, while noting that it was not a constitutional requirement but a political understanding that could promote national stability.
Sani also declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election, while encouraging opposition parties to consider presenting a southern candidate in the 2027 presidential race.
He warned politicians against viewing elections as matters of life and death, stressing that Nigeria must remain united regardless of who wins or loses.
“The country doesn’t have to fall because you lose elections. The country doesn’t have to scatter into pieces because you lose elections,” he said.
Sani said political leaders should understand that Nigeria, with its large population and diverse ethnic and religious communities, had a duty to manage political differences responsibly and avoid actions capable of threatening peace and national stability.
