Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over the renewed threat by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to embark on a nationwide strike, demanding an explanation of how funds saved from fuel subsidy removal have been spent.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the looming strike showed that the government had failed to fulfil its promise to redirect subsidy savings into critical sectors, particularly education.
“If the subsidy is gone and Nigerians have paid for that decision through unprecedented hardship, then President Tinubu owes the country a simple answer: where is the money?” he asked.
ASUU on Friday threatened to commence a nationwide strike “within the shortest time possible” unless the government urgently addressed issues affecting the welfare of university lecturers.
The union’s president, Chris Piwuna, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council at the University of Abuja. He accused the federal and state governments of failing to fully implement the December 2025 agreement reached with the union.
ASUU also raised concerns over deductions for pension contributions, staff cooperative societies and check-off dues, which it said had allegedly not been remitted for several months.
Reacting, Atiku said the latest crisis contradicted the government’s justification for removing the subsidy, arguing that Nigerians had endured higher petrol prices, transport fares, food costs, energy bills and school fees on the promise that savings would be invested in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
“The house of cards of falsehoods erected by the Tinubu administration to justify the suffering of Nigerians is collapsing before our eyes,” he said.
“A government that strips citizens of relief, denies them meaningful social protection and fails to deliver the basic improvements it promised has forfeited the moral credibility to continue preaching sacrifice.”
Atiku also questioned claims that higher allocations to state governments from subsidy savings had translated into improved public services.
“Government officials repeatedly tell Nigerians that subsidy savings have translated into larger allocations to states. But if substantially more money is supposedly flowing to the states, why has the condition of public education not improved accordingly?” he asked.
“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.”
The former vice-president further criticised the government’s student loan scheme, arguing that rising living and education costs had placed greater pressure on families before loans were introduced to help students cope.
“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.
“After helping to make education more expensive, the same government created NELFUND and now celebrates giving young Nigerians loans to pay fees that many of their parents can no longer comfortably afford.”
He described the situation as “government-manufactured poverty” and accused the administration of being more willing to grant concessions, waivers and privileges to powerful interests than provide relief for ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku said the renewed ASUU crisis showed that subsidy removal had neither ended industrial disputes in the university system nor delivered the improvements promised to Nigerians.
“Tinubu removed subsidy from the people, but he has not removed the threat of ASUU strikes,” Atiku said.
“He has not resolved the crisis of unpaid obligations. He has not sufficiently expanded our universities. He has not made education more affordable. And he certainly has not removed the hardship confronting Nigerian families.”
