Atiku Under Fire As Murray-Bruce Declares: ‘Bringing Back Fuel Subsidy Won’t Solve The Problem

Former Bayelsa State Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has rejected the proposal by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to restore fuel subsidy if elected president.

Murray-Bruce argued that bringing back the subsidy would only revive the corruption, inefficiency and other problems associated with the scheme.

He made the position known in a statement made available to journalists.

Rather than restoring fuel subsidy, Murray-Bruce urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to introduce government-funded transport subsidies to reduce the impact of rising transportation costs on residents.

He said Atiku’s proposal was misguided, arguing that Nigeria had operated the subsidy system for decades without delivering sustainable benefits to ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, the subsidy enriched a small group of individuals, encouraged smuggling and failed to significantly improve the welfare of low-income Nigerians.

Murray-Bruce commended President Bola Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy and increasing allocations to state governments.

He argued that the responsibility for protecting residents from the effects of higher transport costs should now fall largely on state governments.

The former senator said the Federal Government had done its part by removing the subsidy and increasing financial allocations to the states, urging governors to use the additional resources to support their citizens.

He maintained that subsidising transportation within individual states should be handled by state governments rather than the Federal Government.

According to him, states should deploy part of their increased allocations to reduce transportation costs instead of expecting the presidency to manage intra-state transportation.

Murray-Bruce’s Four-Point Transport Proposal

Murray-Bruce proposed a transport intervention programme aimed at making public transportation more affordable for Nigerians.

Among his recommendations was free transportation for students, particularly for journeys to and from school.

He also proposed that intra-city transport fares should be capped at ₦500, with lower fares for residents of smaller cities and towns.

Rather than requiring governments to purchase buses and operate transportation systems directly, he suggested that existing commercial transport operators could be supported through government-funded schemes.

Under his proposal, students would be allowed to travel to and from school at no cost, while other residents would benefit from capped fares.

Murray-Bruce argued that such targeted interventions would provide more direct relief to Nigerians than restoring the nationwide fuel subsidy.