President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched a sharp political attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, using the contentious issues of fuel subsidy and workers’ salaries to question the economic credentials of his political opponents.
Speaking recently, Tinubu said he had seen Atiku indicate that he would return Nigeria to a fuel subsidy regime if elected president in 2027. The President described the position as “a demonstration of serious ignorance of governance and the economy,” arguing that the country had already experienced the consequences of maintaining a costly subsidy system.
Tinubu’s criticism comes amid renewed political debate over the future of petrol pricing and the economic hardship Nigerians have experienced since the subsidy was removed shortly after he assumed office in May 2023.
Atiku has argued for a policy approach that would provide relief to Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of living, including a return to some form of petrol subsidy. Tinubu, however, maintains that such a policy would reverse the fiscal changes his administration introduced and return the country to a system that placed enormous pressure on public finances.
According to Tinubu, the removal of subsidy has strengthened the financial position of states by increasing the revenue available for distribution from the Federation Account. He referenced the difficult financial situation confronting several states before his administration, arguing that increased allocations have helped governments meet salary and pension obligations.
But the President did not stop with Atiku.
In a pointed reference to former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Tinubu said: “In Osun State, I know a man who is nicknamed Mr ‘Half Salary’.” The remark immediately revived one of the most controversial chapters of Aregbesola’s eight-year administration in Osun.
Aregbesola governed Osun from 2010 to 2018, during a period when the state struggled with severe financial pressures. His administration introduced what it described as a “modulated salary” arrangement, under which some categories of workers received less than their full salaries. The Osun State Government itself acknowledged in 2017 that workers on Grade Level 12 and above were receiving 50 per cent of their salaries, while other categories received 75 per cent or full salaries.
The controversy did not end with Aregbesola’s departure from office. In 2023, the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke said it inherited approximately N26 billion in half-salary arrears and about N50 billion in pension-related debts, and began settling the outstanding obligations.
Tinubu’s latest comments therefore carry both an economic and political message. By placing Atiku’s proposed subsidy policy alongside Aregbesola’s “Half Salary” legacy, the President appears to be challenging his opponents to explain how their economic promises would be financed and whether Nigerians should trust them with the country’s finances.
The remarks also highlight the increasingly confrontational political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 presidential election, where economic management is expected to remain one of the biggest battlegrounds.
For Tinubu, subsidy removal represents a difficult but necessary reform. For his opponents, the continuing hardship faced by Nigerians raises questions about whether the reform has delivered sufficient relief.
The political argument is therefore no longer simply about fuel subsidy versus subsidy removal. It is increasingly becoming a contest over who Nigerians believe can manage the economy without either returning to expensive government interventions or imposing unbearable costs on ordinary citizens.
And with Tinubu now bringing the famous “Half Salary” label back into the national political conversation, the battle over economic credibility has clearly entered another explosive phase.
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