NIGERIA: Atiku Blasts Tinubu Over Unpaid Wage Awards, Fuel Subsidy Removal

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of plunging Nigerians into deeper hardship through what he called a hasty and thoughtless removal of fuel subsidy on inauguration day.

In a statement posted on his Facebook handle on Sunday, Atiku said the decision “triggered an economic avalanche” that has left citizens grappling with soaring inflation, hunger and despair.

He faulted the administration’s handling of wage awards promised to federal civil servants as a temporary cushion while negotiations for a new national minimum wage dragged on.

“At implication, the Federal Government owes 10 months of wage award arrears to federal workers,” Atiku stated, noting that only six months have been paid so far despite repeated assurances.

According to him, each worker is still owed four months of the ₦35,000 monthly wage award, bringing the outstanding sum to ₦140,000 per person.

Atiku praised some state governments for “commendable responsibility” on labour matters but accused the Federal Government of “callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare.”

The 2023 presidential candidate also condemned the arrest of labour activist Andrew Uche Emelieze, who was detained after planning a peaceful protest over the unpaid awards.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Emelieze,” Atiku wrote, describing the detention as an affront to democracy and evidence of an “authoritarian drift” by the Tinubu administration.

There was no immediate response from the Presidency or the Ministry of Labour at the time of filing this report.

The dispute comes amid ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour on a new minimum wage, which unions say must reflect rising living costs.