Atiku asks Tinubu to account for subsidy savings amid fresh ASUU strike threat

He maintained that Nigerians deserved an explanation on the management of subsidy-related savings, insisting that the sacrifices made by citizens had not yet translated into the promised benefits.

Atiku also expressed concern over the continued disruption of academic activities in public universities and the broader challenges facing the education sector.

He said increased government revenues should be reflected in improved classrooms, laboratories, hostels and other learning facilities.

“You cannot boast about record allocations while students sit at home because lecturers are on strike,” he said.

“You cannot celebrate higher revenues when classrooms, laboratories, hostels and teaching facilities remain inadequate.”

The former vice president added that the challenges were not limited to federal universities, noting that several state-owned institutions had also experienced industrial disputes and interruptions to academic activities.

He further criticised the rising cost of university education, arguing that the removal of fuel subsidy had contributed to a broader increase in the cost of living for Nigerian families.

“This government removed subsidy, increased the cost of transportation, food and virtually every other necessity, and watched the cost of university education rise beyond the reach of many families,” he said.

Atiku also criticised the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, arguing that the policy was being used to assist students facing financial difficulties partly worsened by rising living and education costs.

He questioned the approach of providing loans to students at a time when many families were struggling to afford the increasing cost of tertiary education.

The former vice president also raised concerns about the capacity of Nigerian universities to accommodate the country’s growing youth population.

He questioned whether adequate investments had been made in classrooms, laboratories, hostels and other facilities required to expand access to higher education.

The Federal Government ended the petrol subsidy regime shortly after President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, arguing that the policy had become financially unsustainable and that funds previously spent on subsidising petrol could be redirected to critical areas of development.

However, the policy resulted in a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to rising transportation costs and broader inflationary pressures on households.

Government officials have since pointed to increased revenues and statutory allocations to the three tiers of government as among the outcomes of the policy.

ASUU’s latest warning has again drawn attention to the unresolved issues surrounding the funding of Nigeria’s public universities, lecturers’ welfare and the implementation of agreements reached between the union and successive governments.