For decades, the Nigerian social contract has been broken. Government takes, but does not give back in a way that empowers the people. The removal of the consumption subsidy without a viable alternative has further widened the gap between the state and the citizen, plunging millions into multidimensional poverty. What Nigeria needs is not the absence of subsidy, but a redirection of subsidy from consumption to production. This is the core of the Atiku Abubakar economic vision.
H.E. Atiku Abubakar understands that a true social contract is built on empowerment, not palliatives. His proposal to introduce a Production Subsidy is a masterstroke that will fundamentally restructure the Nigerian economy and restore trust between government and the governed.
Recently, the Director of Strategic Communication of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Mr Phrank Shuaibu, in his interview with Arise News Channel, asked a very fundamental question: whether Nigerians are better off than they were in 2023. He went further to say that Atiku Abubakar proposed the phased removal of the subsidy in 2023, which was to be done in bits and with a cushion to meet the needs of the people. Atiku wants to introduce a different kind of subsidy, a brand-new form of subsidy called “Production Subsidy”, by providing intervention to local refineries from the point of crude supply.
He then gave an example of a man who farms cassava in a village in Gboko, Benue State. He sells the cassava to his brother in Aba, who is also a Nigerian, and the brother transforms the cassava into garri. The farmer then has to travel as far as Aba to buy the garri at a high price. That is what Atiku is now saying: “I am going to give the person who farms cassava an incentive to farm cassava, convert it into garri and sell a bag of garri that usually sells for N30,000 in the market for N10,000.”
Previous administrations, including the current one, have focused on subsidising consumption, fuel importation, dollar arbitrage, and sharing money that creates no value. Atiku proposes to end this wasteful model.
A Production Subsidy means the government will directly support those who produce: farmers, manufacturers, MSMEs and industrialists. Instead of subsidising the importation of refined petroleum, Atiku will subsidise local refining, local manufacturing of farm implements and agro-processing. Instead of sharing palliatives, he will subsidise inputs, machinery and energy for productive enterprises. This strengthens the social contract because Nigerians will see government investing in their capacity to create wealth, not just giving handouts to help them survive poverty.
This brings us to the argument for why Atiku remains the most prepared person for Nigeria’s presidency. Atiku Abubakar is the only candidate among the top contenders who is a proven, large-scale employer of labour outside politics. From Priam Group to his farms and schools, he understands what it means to meet payroll and sustain a business in the harsh Nigerian environment. He will bring this private-sector experience to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
As a detribalised Nigerian, Atiku’s businesses, family and political base cut across all six geopolitical zones. He has the capacity to heal a divided nation and give every Nigerian a sense of belonging, the most important ingredient of a social contract.
He remains the only leading candidate for the 2027 presidential election with the courage and conviction to pursue true devolution of powers and fiscal federalism. Under his leadership, states will have more resources and powers to develop at their own pace, with production subsidies tailored to their comparative advantages: agriculture in the North, industry in the South-East and South-West, and solid minerals in the North-Central.
At the Conference of the African Council for Communication Education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on March 10, 2014, Atiku said, “We must refrain from the habit of assuming that anyone who is calling for the restructuring of our federation is working for the breakup of the country. The notion that over-centralisation and an excessively powerful centre is equivalent to national unity is false. If anything, it has made our unity more fragile and our government more unstable. Greater autonomy, power and resources for states and local authorities will unleash our people’s creative energies and spur more development.”
He also said that restructuring would improve security. It would help give federating units and local governments greater freedom and flexibility to address local issues, priorities and peculiarities.
As a former Customs officer, businessman and Vice President, Atiku understands the informal economy of the North, the commercial ingenuity of the South-East and the corporate ecosystem of the South-West. He is best positioned to design a production subsidy that works for all.
Presently, the APC government has moved Nigeria from shared prosperity to shared poverty. They have broken the social contract. Atiku Abubakar wants to sign a new social contract with Nigerians. The strengthening of the social contract will not come from propaganda or coercion. It will come from a government that shows Nigerians that their productivity matters.
By replacing consumption subsidy with production subsidy, it is a message of hope. It tells the farmer in Kaduna, the shoemaker in Aba, the industrialist in Lagos, the entrepreneur in Kano and the youth in Jos that government is finally on their side. That is how trust is built, and that is why Waziri remains the best hope for Nigeria. Atiku Abubakar will put money directly into the hands of those who feed the nation, clothe the nation and build the nation.
Nigeria does not need a manager of poverty; it needs a creator of wealth. Nigeria does not need an experiment; it needs experience. That is why Atiku Abubakar remains the best President for a new Nigeria.
Umaru is a Public Affairs Analyst, writing from Abuja.
