Atiku Tells Tinubu: Distribute Rice, But That Rice No Go Fix This Economy

Atiku Abubakar came out on Friday, 18 September, at a world press conference in Abuja and told President Bola Tinubu straight that the subsidy removal has no adequate protection for Nigerians, and that government should not make life unbearable. He said, "When government make energy expensive, life go dey expensive." And honestly, that one sentence carries more economic sense than all the press releases coming out of the Villa.

But the part that got me was when he said, "Bag of rice no go fit repair di economy wey transportation cost dey big pass salaries." That is the truest thing anybody has said about this palliative circus. A bag of rice is not economic policy. It is a photo opportunity. The man even told Tinubu to swallow his pride and take the idea, give it another name if he likes, and take the credit, as long as Nigerians pay less at the pump. That is the kind of humility our leaders lack. In Ibadan here, the same way my father complained about fuel queues in the 80s is the same way my driver is complaining today. Nothing has changed except the price.

Now, some of you will say Atiku is just positioning for 2027 and has no moral standing. Fine. But does that make the rice palliative work? Does it bring down transport from Iwo Road to Challenge? Be honest with yourselves. If the idea is sensible, does it matter who proposed it? Or we should suffer just because the messenger is not our preferred candidate?