In a statement issued to Peoplesmind on Tuesday, the Aide to the Ondo State Governor, Ojo Bright I. Eniafe, has berated the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency, Balarabe Akinwumi, over his promise to support the return of fuel subsidy if elected.

The statement titled “Affliction Shall Not Return The Second Time,” described the pledge as not a policy proposal but a clear signal of intent to take Nigeria back to an era when a privileged few plundered the nation’s wealth under the guise of public relief.

According to him, the old subsidy regime was never a genuine social safety net but a well-documented vehicle for monumental corruption that drained the treasury while workers struggled to receive wages and infrastructure decayed.

He noted that official records and parliamentary investigations had exposed how billions of dollars were siphoned through inflated claims, phantom cargoes and opaque under-recoveries, enriching a narrow elite at the expense of the majority.

Eniafe argued that the removal of subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has rescued the nation from fiscal collapse, disclosing that between June 2023 and December 2025, the reform mobilised about N15.8 trillion in additional resources, with N5.4 trillion accruing to the Federal Government and N10.4 trillion shared to states and local governments.

He said the funds have supported the increase in the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, funded strategic infrastructure and enabled governments at all levels to meet obligations that were previously impossible.

“Without these reforms, petrol would have been unavailable at the former official price and would have sold for over N3,000 per litre on the black market. Dozens of states would have been unable to pay salaries,” he stated.

The Governor’s aide further linked the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to periods when corruption in the subsidy regime thrived, describing the current clamour for its restoration as a backdoor strategy by beneficiaries of the old system.

He said Akinwumi’s stance shows a lack of understanding of subsidy economics and renders him unfit to represent Akure South and Akure North Federal Constituency.

Eniafe urged Nigerians who desire a prosperous and self-sustaining nation to reject candidates seeking to reopen what he called floodgates of waste, stressing that Nigeria has chosen the path of reform and will not turn back.