Atiku's aide calls N3.3trn electricity fund a 'panic button' for Tinubu's govt
Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Federal Government of using the N3.3 trillion electricity intervention fund as a political distraction rather than genuine policy reform. In a statement dated April 7, 2026, Shaibu alleged the fund was first introduced in 2024 during the EndBadGovernance protests and has resurfaced ahead of the 2027 elections as opposition forces rally under the ADC coalition.
Shaibu described the repeated rollout as a pattern: "Each time the regime feels the ground shifting beneath it, it responds not with reform, but with headline-grabbing interventions designed to distract, pacify, and survive the moment." He claimed the amount is not a policy figure but a "panic button," calling it "the alarm code of a sinking administration."
The allegations frame the initiative as politically timed, suggesting the government responds to public pressure and electoral threats with the same financial playbook. This follows recent criticism of the power sector and government legacy debt approvals.
Is the N3.3 trillion fund a genuine effort to address electricity challenges, or a recurring political tactic to manage dissent and electoral risks?