The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to invest the proceeds from fuel subsidy removal in education, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatens a fresh nationwide strike over unpaid entitlements and unresolved agreements.
Atiku made the accusation in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
He said Nigerians had endured the hardship that followed the removal of the fuel subsidy through higher transport fares, food prices, energy costs and school fees, yet public universities remained underfunded.
Atiku said that since the fuel subsidy had been removed and Nigerians had endured unprecedented hardship as a result, President Tinubu should explain what had happened to the money realised from the policy.
“The government promised to invest subsidy savings in education, healthcare, infrastructure and social welfare, but those promises have not been fulfilled,” he said.
According to him, the continued threat of ASUU strikes showed that the administration had failed to resolve long-standing problems in the university system.
“Government removed the cushion, collected the supposed savings and imposed the hardship, but Nigerians cannot see the corresponding improvement in their schools, hospitals or everyday lives,” he said.
The former Vice President noted that lecturers were still demanding unpaid salaries and the implementation of previous agreements, while university infrastructure remained inadequate despite years of subsidy removal.
He also questioned claims that increased revenue allocations to state governments had translated into better public education.
“You cannot boast about record allocations while students sit at home because lecturers are on strike. You cannot celebrate higher revenues when classrooms, laboratories, hostels and teaching facilities remain inadequate,” he said.
Atiku further criticised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He argued that the scheme was introduced after government policies had already made education more expensive for many families.
He maintained that offering loans to students after worsening the cost of living was not a lasting solution to the country’s education challenges.
Atiku concluded that while Nigerians had borne the full cost of subsidy removal, the promised improvements in education had yet to materialise.
Atiku accuses Tinubu govt of failing to invest subsidy savings in education