Yilwatda: subsidy return could worsen poverty in North

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned that restoring fuel subsidy would hurt Northern Nigeria by reducing funds for infrastructure and other government programmes.

Yilwatda spoke on Monday at the APC national secretariat in Abuja while receiving former African Democratic Congress ADC candidates who defected to the ruling party.

Princess Aslam Aliyu, also known as Gimbiyar Kauran Namoda, led the defectors who contested various State Houses of Assembly seats in the North.

Speaking for the group, an ADC candidate from Zamfara State, Mohammed Hassan, said they joined the APC to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda ahead of the 2027 election.

Yilwatda criticised opposition calls to restore fuel subsidy. He questioned how the government would fund ongoing projects if subsidy payments resumed.

He said subsidy restoration could affect road construction and other infrastructure projects across the country.

The APC chairman also highlighted the government’s gas and fertiliser initiatives, as well as the student loan scheme. He said many Northerners have benefited from the programme.

Yilwatda argued that the North could face increased poverty if the region returned to the financial conditions he said existed before the current administration.

He cited unpaid salaries and gratuities in several northern states before 2023. He warned against policies that could worsen the situation.

The APC chairman also rejected claims that Tinubu’s administration has neglected the North. He cited ongoing road projects linking major northern cities as evidence of federal investment in the region.

Yilwatda mentioned the Abuja-Kano and Kano-Maiduguri roads, as well as projects linking Jos to Akwanga, Kwara to Mokwa, Sokoto to Kebbi, Kano to Daura and Zaria to Illela.

He said work on the Abuja-Kano road was nearly complete, while the Kano-Maiduguri road had reached about 50 per cent completion.

Addressing the defectors, Yilwatda urged them to return to their wards and register as APC members after submitting their resignation letters to the ADC.

He asked them to strengthen the party at the polling-unit level, saying elections ultimately depend on votes cast at individual polling units.

Yilwatda also defended Tinubu’s record of political inclusion. He cited appointments and leadership positions given to people from different parts of Nigeria during Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor.

He contrasted this with the records of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso as former governors of Anambra and Kano states, respectively. He challenged the opposition figures to identify commissioners from outside their states who served in their cabinets.