Nigeria: 'Prepare Your Handover', Atiku Tells Tinubu Over Fuel, Transport Crisis

What the report says

Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has renewed criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic management, saying the administration should begin preparing its handover notes ahead of the 2027 election. The comments were reported by Vanguard and distributed by AllAfrica, with the statement attributed to Atiku’s senior communications aide in Abuja.

According to the report, Atiku linked his attack to the government’s response to fuel subsidy removal, rising transport costs and the cost-of-living squeeze facing Nigerians. He criticized a recent federal pledge to work with governors on lower public transport fares, arguing that relief measures have come too late and do not address the underlying pressure created by higher fuel and business costs.

The article says Atiku also pointed to the government’s compressed natural gas conversion program as evidence of limited progress, citing the administration’s own figure of about 120,000 converted vehicles. He compared that with the much larger number of vehicles on Nigerian roads, using the contrast to argue that the policy has not delivered broad relief.

Atiku further promoted his own approach, which he described as a production-based subsidy and a focus on domestic refining, energy costs and tracking of oil revenues. His remarks reflect the wider political debate in Nigeria over inflation, transport affordability and the effects of subsidy removal, an issue that continues to shape public criticism of the Tinubu government.