Fuel Subsidy Removal Has Failed the Masses, Jigawa Residents Declare as They Endorse Atiku for 2027

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Residents of Jigawa State have thrown their weight behind the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, over his pledge to restore fuel subsidy if elected in 2027, describing the current policy as a catastrophic failure that has impoverished ordinary Nigerians and pushed countless families deeper into poverty. The endorsement, which has dominated discussions at tea joints, markets, motor parks and on social media across the state since the Independent National Electoral Commission lifted the ban on campaigns on August 19, 2026, reflects a growing sentiment among the masses that the removal of the petrol subsidy has brought nothing but suffering. Atiku had declared during his first media engagement after the campaign ban was lifted that, "I will restore fuel subsidy because the current removal has failed the masses. You cannot punish the poor in the name of reform. Subsidy is for the people, not for the elite."

President Bola Tinubu swiftly dismissed Atiku's proposal on Thursday, August 20, 2026, describing it as "a serious display of ignorance about governance and economics." However, in Jigawa, one of Nigeria's poorest states, residents who spoke with The PUNCH correspondent on Friday, August 21, 2026, said Tinubu's reaction only confirmed that his government was completely disconnected from the suffering of the masses. Malam Musa, a 52-year-old commercial driver at Dutse Central Motor Park, articulated the frustration of many, stating, "Before subsidy removal, we were managing. Now we are suffering. Atiku has spoken the truth that every poor man feels. Fuel was N195, now it is over N1,300. How can we survive?" His lament underscores the dramatic spike in fuel prices that has reverberated through every sector of the economy, triggering a cascade of price increases that have pushed basic commodities beyond the reach of ordinary households.

Harira Danladi, a foodstuffs seller at Dutse Central Market, told The PUNCH that her business was collapsing because customers no longer had money to buy food. "They told us subsidy removal will bring development, but we only see suffering. The masses are paying the price while the big men enjoy. I support Atiku 100 percent to bring it back," Danladi said. Her testimony reflects a widespread perception among traders and small business owners that the promised benefits of the subsidy removal have failed to materialise, while the immediate costs have been devastating. Usman Shehu, a 29-year-old youth leader in Takur Quarters, described fuel as the lifeblood of the Nigerian economy, arguing that Atiku's promise demonstrated an understanding of the struggles of the poor. "Fuel is life in Nigeria. When you touch fuel, you touch everything. Atiku wants to touch the lives of the masses positively by bringing subsidy back," Shehu said.

Another resident, Malam Ibrahim Maibargo, a civil servant, said Tinubu's defence of the subsidy removal had exposed what he described as the anti-people nature of the administration. "Tinubu says no going back, but we the masses are saying there is no going forward with this hardship. Salary remains the same but fuel has killed everything," Maibargo said. His words capture the anguish of workers whose incomes have remained stagnant while the cost of living has soared, eroding their purchasing power and pushing many families to the brink. Mrs Grace John, a hairdresser along Government House Road, said women and small business owners were among the worst hit by the policy. "As a woman doing small business, I spend almost all my profit on transport and petrol for my generator. If Atiku returns subsidy, our businesses will breathe again," she said.

The reactions from Jigawa residents reflect a broader political and economic argument that has intensified since Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy shortly after assuming office in May 2023. The administration has consistently defended the reform as necessary to eliminate the financial burden of subsidising fuel and redirect public resources towards infrastructure and development. However, critics have argued that the removal was implemented without a credible transition plan or adequate measures to cushion its impact, leading to simultaneous fuel-price, exchange-rate and cost-of-living shocks that have left millions of Nigerians poorer. Atiku, who had initially not opposed the removal of the subsidy, has now taken a different position, maintaining that the impact of the policy on poorer Nigerians makes a rethink necessary.

The debate has also drawn sharp criticism from the Presidency, with Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga describing Atiku's proposal as retrogressive and an attempt to regain political power. Onanuga accused Atiku of opportunistically recanting his earlier support for subsidy reform ahead of the 2023 election. However, the residents of Jigawa appear unmoved by these arguments, viewing the subsidy debate through the prism of their daily survival. The Deputy Chairman of the ADC in Jigawa State, Ambassador Nuraddeen Suleiman Jidawa, has also thrown his weight behind Atiku's pledge, describing the proposal as timely given the economic hardship confronting Nigerians. "I know Atiku Abubakar very well. He is a man of integrity, maturity and a true democrat. I am confident that he will fulfil the promises he makes to Nigerians," Jidawa said.

As the 2027 presidential campaign gathers momentum, the fuel subsidy question is emerging as one of the defining issues that will shape the electoral contest. For the residents of Jigawa, the choice appears clear: a return to the subsidy regime that, despite its flaws, offered some relief from the crushing burden of fuel prices, or a continuation of the current policy that has, in their view, brought nothing but suffering. The voices from Dutse, from the motor parks and markets, from the hairdressers and civil servants, are a powerful reminder that for millions of Nigerians, the debate over subsidy is not an abstract economic argument but a matter of survival. As one resident put it, the masses have rejected the removal, and they are looking to Atiku to restore what they have lost.

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