Facts About Atiku That Posterity Will Not Ignore
OpenLife News reproduces an opinion by Oladipo Oluwole, a public affairs analyst and retired director in Ogun State civil service.
In the piece, Oluwole argues that Atiku Abubakar Atiku, the African Democratic Congress, ADC 2027 presidential candidate has been vindicated on subsidy, refineries and power, stressing that nobody can stop the Adamawa State born politician because “facts about Atiku will outlive propaganda in the public space”
For decades, two names have defined Nigeria’s political terrain: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar. Veterans, strategists, and polarizing figures with millions of supporters, critics, and followers at home and in the diaspora.
Yet as the debate around policy, governance and 2027 heats up, one question keeps resurfacing: Who is actually stopping Atiku from selling Nigeria, or from reversing subsidy — Tinubu, the APC, or Nigerians themselves?
The Issues That Won’t Go Away: Refineries, Mikano, Power, Crude
From refineries to Mikano, energy projects to crude-for-loan deals, Atiku’s name is constantly dragged into national conversations. His latest proposals — reopening borders, local government autonomy, NELFUND, and a reversal of fuel subsidy — have drawn fire from the Presidency and the APC, who call it political desperation.
Ironically, those same proposals have pressured both federal and state governments to announce transport fare reductions and palliatives for October.
Mikano: The Allegation That Won’t Die
At the peak of power sector criticism, Atiku was accused of owning Mikano Generators. Even after Google searches showed otherwise, skeptics insisted the listed names were “placeholders.”
When this administration gave Mikano tax waivers in 2024/2025, the same critics claimed it was Tinubu empowering his “friend.” But the question remains: Would a president economically empower a man who dragged him to the Supreme Court?
$16bn Power Project & Mambilla
The recycled allegation of a $16 billion power spend under Obasanjo/Atiku resurfaced during the subsidy debate. Atiku challenged the government to take him to court with evidence.
In January 2025, only Buhari, Obasanjo, Dr. Olu Agunloye and some ministers appeared at the Paris Arbitration Court over Mambilla. Atiku was never invited as witness, defendant, or accused.
Crude-For-Loan Deal
In August 2023, barely 3 months into office, the government through NNPC secured a $3.3bn emergency loan against 90,000 barrels of crude daily — over 164 million barrels in total.
Atiku warned then that the deal was lopsided and would cost Nigeria more in the long run due to oil price fluctuations. His warning was dismissed as sour grapes. Today, Dangote is publicly complaining that NNPC cannot meet his crude supply for local refining.
The Refineries Debate
During 2019 and 2023 campaigns, Atiku was vilified for promising to privatize “obsolete” refineries and build new ones — “even if they kill me for it.”
Those who opposed him then have since contemplated privatization and outright sale after billions were spent with little result. The President now promises to revive the refineries before the January 16, 2027 elections.
Fuel Subsidy Reversal
Economics is dynamic. Atiku’s shift from supporting subsidy removal in 2023 to advocating reversal in 2026 reflects new realities: the emergence of Dangote, modular and other local refineries by 2027 that did not exist in 2023.
His proposal is not a return to import subsidy, but a monitored local production subsidy — crude and refineries working together to deliver cheaper fuel to Nigerians.
The Bigger Question
Truth, without sentiment or coloration, is constant. We are where we are today because we refuse to speak it when it matters.
So the question to posterity is simple: “Who would have stopped Atiku if he had proposed to ‘sell Nigeria’? He has been vindicated on nearly every front.
Now he proposes subsidy reversal and other measures just so the masses can breathe. Is he not being vindicated again by the palliatives and rollouts now promised by federal and state governments?
Time will tell.
Oladipo Oluwole, a Public Affairs Analyst, Social Commentator, and former Director of Information and Education, Ogun State, can be reached via: Email: oladipooluwole21@gmail.com
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