The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy.

It described the position as a politically driven intervention that fails to address the structural problems confronting Nigeria’s economy.

NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, said the association would not support a return to a subsidy regime that had placed a heavy burden on government finances without addressing the underlying challenges in the petroleum sector.

Afeez stated this in a statement on Wednesday, stressing that NANS’ position was based on what it considered the long-term interests of the country rather than partisan politics.

He acknowledged that the removal of fuel subsidy had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians, particularly through higher petrol, transportation and food costs.

However, he argued that the reform was necessary because the previous subsidy arrangement had become financially unsustainable and consumed resources that could have been channelled into critical sectors.

“Every sane and patriotic citizen who is conversant with our nation’s economy will agree with me that the removal of the fuel subsidy was a difficult but necessary economic reform aimed at ending an increasingly unsustainable system,” Afeez said.

According to him, the subsidy regime consumed trillions of naira in public funds, disproportionately benefited those who consumed more petrol, encouraged fuel smuggling and constrained government’s capacity to invest in infrastructure, healthcare and other essential services.

He said the current challenge was not simply whether subsidy should be removed or restored, but whether government was effectively using the resources saved from its removal to improve citizens’ welfare.

Afeez therefore called on the Federal Government to channel the savings into education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and other areas capable of delivering measurable benefits to Nigerians.

He maintained that the immediate hardship associated with economic reforms should not become a justification for abandoning reforms altogether.

“As NANS President, my position is therefore clear: we must not allow the immediate pain of reform to make us abandon the need for reform itself,” he said.

The student body consequently urged Atiku to reconsider his proposal, arguing that a return to fuel subsidy without a comprehensive framework for addressing its weaknesses could worsen Nigeria’s fiscal pressures.

Afeez warned that committing huge public resources to subsidising petroleum consumption could further limit the government’s ability to address the country’s infrastructure deficit and other pressing development needs.

He also challenged presidential aspirants ahead of the 2027 elections to move beyond policies designed primarily to offer short-term relief and instead present sustainable economic programmes capable of strengthening the country over the long term.

According to him, Nigerians deserve clear policy alternatives that address the root causes of economic hardship rather than the restoration of measures that had become difficult for the government to finance.

Afeez insisted that NANS’ opposition to Atiku’s proposal was not an endorsement of any political candidate, but a position informed by what the association described as the long-term prosperity of Nigeria.

He urged political leaders to make economic policy a central component of the 2027 campaign and provide Nigerians with credible plans for reducing hardship while ensuring sustainable national development.