Juliet Oladele, Reporting
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the worsening cost-of-living crisis, accusing it of driving Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance” after petrol prices climbed to as much as ₦1,470 per litre.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja on Tuesday, the opposition party said the ripple effects of the hike were 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,” the party said. “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 ADC cited reports of private schools raising fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, describing the development as further evidence of the economic pressure bearing down on families. It noted that the increases had come at a time when incomes had stagnated, leaving parents to grapple 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,” the statement read. “Yet, at every turn, this government demands that already exhausted families pay more.”
The party was careful not to lay the blame at the door of school proprietors, acknowledging that they too were contending with rising taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and salaries.
“Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy,” it said.
Describing the current pump price as “a Tinubu Tax”, the ADC said petrol was no longer simply a commodity but a burden that had made life unbearable for the majority of Nigerians.
“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 took aim at the government for demanding sacrifices from ordinary Nigerians while, it alleged, public officials continued to fund extravagant lifestyles from public coffers.
“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,” the ADC said. “When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility.”
2027 SHOWDOWN
Turning to the next presidential election, the ADC framed 2027 as a choice between continuing what it called Mr Tinubu’s “punishment” and the relief programme proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The party restated Mr Abubakar’s commitment to reducing the price of petrol by reinstating the subsidy to support domestic fuel production, 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,” it said. “Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens see every visit to a filling station as punishment.”
The ADC warned the ruling party against mistaking Nigerians’ patience for approval or surrender, adding: “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 statement is the latest in a series of salvos from opposition parties over the state of the economy, as households continue to battle stubborn inflation and rising energy costs.
