Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has sustained the conversation around subsidy debate as he challenged the federal government to account for the savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The former vice president asked the Tinubu-led administration to show Nigerians specific spendings from the subsidy accruals.
A statement signed on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the administration of President Bola Tinubu and its supporters were attempting to divert attention from questions over the management of public resources by reviving old allegations against him.
Atiku said the government had removed the subsidy and asked Nigerians to endure the resulting hardship on the promise that the savings would be channelled into development.
“They removed the subsidy from the poor and promised that the sacrifice would free resources for development. Nigerians accepted extraordinary pain on that promise,” he said.
He said petrol, transportation and food costs had increased while the purchasing power of Nigerian workers had been severely weakened.
“Today, petrol is more expensive, transportation is more expensive, food is more expensive and the purchasing power of the Nigerian worker has been devastated,” Atiku said.
The former vice-president also questioned the continued provision of fiscal incentives, waivers, tax credits and concessions to what he described as powerful economic interests.
He said the government could not remove relief from poor Nigerians, benefit from increased revenues and at the same time portray interventions aimed at easing hardship as economically irresponsible.
“So, our question remains brutally simple: WHERE IS THE PEOPLE’S MONEY?” Atiku asked.
Atiku also challenged the Tinubu administration and its supporters to investigate him if they had evidence of wrongdoing instead of recycling allegations concerning his time in government.
The ADC presidential candidate said the national assembly had investigated the power projects during his tenure as vice-president, but he was never invited to answer allegations of wrongdoing.
“The National Assembly investigated the power projects. I was never invited to answer any allegation of wrongdoing,” he said.
Atiku acknowledged that he chaired the national council on privatisation as vice-president but said he disagreed with the concept of the power project and did not oversee its implementation.
“I have repeatedly asked to be investigated. I left office in 2007 and have spent much of the period since then opposing governments in power,” he said.
“If there is evidence that I stole public money, why has no government produced it before a court?”
“It is still not too late. Investigate me. Invite me. Produce the evidence. Prosecute me if you have a case. But propaganda cannot substitute for evidence.”
