A leading opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed President Bola Tinubu-led administration for alleged worsening of economic hardship over the rising petrol prices which currently sells around ₦1,470 per litre.
ADC said the increase had made transportation and other
basic necessities more expensive, pushing Nigerians dangerously close to the
limits of human endurance.
National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi,
in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that the impact of higher petrol
prices was being felt across food, transportation, electricity, education and
other areas of daily life.
“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an
instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians. Food, transportation,
electricity, education, and everything Nigerians need to survive responds
directly to the price of fuel and combine together to make life difficult for
the majority of Nigerians,” the party said.
The party also cited reports of private schools increasing
fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, describing the development as another
indication of the economic pressure on families.
The statement said these increases were taking place at a
time when incomes had not risen by a similar margin, leaving parents to contend
with higher costs of fuel, food, rent, transportation and education.
“Parents are not earning 40 per cent more. Their salaries
have not risen with the prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation, and school
fees. Yet, at every turn, this government demands that already exhausted
families pay more.”
The opposition party said it did not blame school
proprietors for the fee increases, noting that they were also dealing with
rising taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and salaries.
“Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of
Tinubu and the APC’s economy.”
The ADC further described the current petrol price as an
additional burden on Nigerians, saying its effect had extended beyond the cost
of transportation.
“At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a
commodity. It is a Tinubu Tax, which has made life unbearable for the majority.
Under Tinubu and the APC, Nigerians have been tightening their belts. Now,
there are no more holes left, and people have started to choke. Families are
now skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, abandoning medical
treatment and shutting down businesses,” it said.
The party also criticised the government for demanding
sacrifices from ordinary Nigerians while, according to it, public officials
continued to fund extravagant lifestyles from public resources.
“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not
working. An economic policy that produces impressive figures at government
briefings but hunger in Nigerian homes is a failure. When parents must choose
between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed
spectacularly in its most basic responsibility.”
On the 2027 presidential election, the ADC said Nigerians
would face a choice between continuing with what it described as Tinubu’s
“punishment” and the relief programme proposed by its presidential candidate,
Atiku Abubakar.
The party restated Atiku’s commitment to reducing the
price of petrol by bringing back subsidy to support domestic production of
fuel, which it said would help ease the cost of food, transportation and
production.
“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform
must serve the people, not sacrifice them,” the ADC said.
“Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens
see every visit to a filling station as punishment.”
The party also warned the ruling party against
interpreting Nigerians’ patience as approval or surrender.
“Our resilience must not become an excuse for continued
cruelty. Tinubu has had enough time and inflicted enough pain. The people are
suffering, businesses are dying, and hope is becoming increasingly expensive.
President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the ADC
said.
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