Atiku cites survey on Nigerians’ views of petrol subsidy policy

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cited a survey indicating that 67.4 per cent of respondents want the Federal Government to restore petrol subsidy.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, made the comment in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Tuesday.

According to Atiku, the survey by SBM Intelligence showed that 19.2 per cent of respondents supported the government’s current petrol pricing policy.

He said the findings reflected concerns over rising petrol and transportation costs and called on President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the policy.

“This survey is no longer merely about economic policy. It has become a democratic question,” Atiku said.

He added that the government should respond to concerns over the rising cost of living and the effect of fuel prices on households and businesses.

Atiku said petrol was identified as the second-most cited national problem in the survey, while the government’s fuel policy received a rating of 1.69 out of four.

The former vice president has previously advocated the restoration of petrol subsidy as part of measures to reduce the impact of rising fuel prices on Nigerians.

However, the Tinubu administration has maintained that removing the subsidy was necessary to reduce the financial burden on the government and redirect resources to other areas.