Atiku slams Tinubu govt for poverty cycle via subsidy cut and student loans

Atiku Abubakar, ADC presidential candidate, accused President Bola Tinubu's government of creating a vicious cycle of poverty. He said the removal of fuel subsidy has made transportation, food, and almost every other basic need more expensive, and driven up the cost of university education so that many families can no longer afford it. After making education more costly, the same government introduced NELFUND and now proudly gives young Nigerians loans to cover school fees that many parents cannot easily pay.

This highlights a stark contradiction: policies that raise living costs are paired with loan schemes that may deepen debt burdens rather than alleviate them. The accusation comes amid ongoing public debate over fuel pricing, inflation, and the effectiveness of social welfare reforms affecting millions of Nigerians, especially students and low-income households.

Atiku asked, "What kind of reform first empties a family's pocket and then offers the child a loan to survive the hardship government helped create? That is not progress. It is a vicious circle of government-manufactured poverty." With education costs rising and loan programmes expanding, will you rely on student loans to finance schooling, seek alternative funding, or advocate for policy changes that restore subsidies or reduce tuition?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/14/subsidy-removal-tinubu-govt-creating-vicious-cycle-of-poverty-atiku/