N’West guber candidates, group back Atiku’s plan on subsidy, NELFUND 

Nigeria could have descended into a severe economic crisis requiring citizens to use wheelbarrows to carry money to buy basic commodities like bread, if President Bola Tinubu had delayed the implementation of his economic reforms, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said.
  
However, some of Tinubu’s reforms are still not going down well with many Nigerians, as governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the seven states of the North-West prefer Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to restore fuel subsidy if elected President in 2027.
  
Also, the Atiku Nioo Campaign Organisation has backed the ADC presidential candidate’s plan to reverse the fuel subsidy and cancel the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that these policies have resulted in the hunger and hardship facing Nigerians.
  
During an interactive session with journalists yesterday in Abuja, Alake defended the Tinubu administration’s decision to remove petrol subsidy and introduce other economic reforms.
  
The minister said the reforms were painful but necessary to correct structural distortions inherited from previous administrations, insisting there was no shortcut to rebuilding an economy weakened by years of policy inconsistencies and delayed decisions.
  
According to him, successive governments were aware of the need to reform the subsidy regime and address other economic distortions, but repeatedly postponed difficult decisions due to political considerations, particularly fears that unpopular policies could affect their electoral fortunes.
  
Tinubu, however, chose to “take the bullet” by implementing the reforms despite the political consequences, he added, arguing that the country could not continue digging itself deeper into an economic hole.
  
The minister claimed that the administration had already achieved macroeconomic stability, while some of the benefits were gradually reaching households and individuals.
  
He cited the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that families with children in tertiary institutions were already experiencing relief through access to student loans and allowances.

The North-West ADC governorship candidates also pledged to implement a minimum wage of N110,000 for workers across the seven states, if elected.
  
The position was included in the North-West ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027–2031, which was adopted and signed by the candidates yesterday in Abuja. 
  
The candidates are Sabo Nakudu (Jigawa), Isa Ashiru (Kaduna), Ibrahim Amin (Kano), Ahmad Kaita (Katsina), Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Manir Dan’iya (Sokoto) and Bilyaminu Shinkafi (Zamfara).
  
Speaking on behalf of the candidates, Malami (SAN) said the removal of fuel subsidy by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government had pushed residents of the region into deeper poverty.
  
The candidates said they supported Atiku’s promise to restore the subsidy as one of the immediate measures to halt the worsening economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
  
“We, the ADC governorship candidates of the seven North-West states, hereby declare our total support for the promise made by Atiku, to restore the subsidy as one of the immediate steps to halt the further slide of our people into abject poverty,” they stated while committing to implement a N110,000 minimum wage for workers across Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states, if elected.
  
They said the decision was part of a broader regional covenant aimed at addressing insecurity, poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, education and healthcare challenges confronting the North-West.

The pro-Atiku group described Tinubu’s sudden removal of the fuel subsidy as a “sudden death” for Nigerians, arguing that the policy contributed to the continued rise in the prices of food items and other essential products.
  
It criticised the Tinubu-led administration over its Renewed Hope policies, arguing that hardship faced by Nigerians worsened under his government, particularly in security, electricity, the economy, infrastructure, and other critical sectors.
  
Founder of the organisation, Muyiwa Fafowora, disclosed in Abeokuta, Ogun State, stated that following the removal of the subsidy, the prices of goods and services, as well as the cost of living, skyrocketed, pushing the country to the brink of hyper-inflation.

Fafowora noted that Atiku was speaking for millions of Nigerians when he called for the return of the fuel subsidy, noting that its removal would not return citizens to the long queues at petrol stations, reduce the minimum wage as speculated, or plunge Nigeria’s economy into collapse.