ABUJA, Nigeria — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening economic hardship in Nigeria following the rise in petrol prices to as much as ₦1,470 per litre.
The opposition party said the increase had triggered higher costs of transportation and other essential goods and services, pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
The ADC made its position known in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja yesterday.
According to the party, the impact of rising petrol prices was being felt across several sectors of the economy, including food, transportation, electricity and education.
“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,” it 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 financial pressure on households.
It argued that the increases were occurring at a time when most incomes had not risen by a corresponding margin, leaving families to contend with rising expenditure on 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 ADC said.
The party, however, said it did not blame school proprietors for the fee increases, noting that private schools were also grappling with higher taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and salaries.
It described parents, workers and businesses as victims of what it called the economic policies of the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On the current petrol price, the ADC said its impact went beyond transportation costs.
“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,” the party said.
It further claimed that some families were skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses as a result of mounting economic pressures.
The ADC also criticised the government over what it described as the continued funding of extravagant lifestyles by public officials, while ordinary Nigerians were being asked to make sacrifices.
“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,” it said.
The party added that economic reforms should improve living conditions rather than increase the burden on households.
“When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility,” it said.
On the 2027 presidential election, the ADC said Nigerians would have to choose between continuing with what it described as the Tinubu administration’s “punishment” and the economic relief programme proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The party reiterated Atiku’s commitment to reintroducing fuel subsidy as part of measures it said would support domestic fuel production and reduce pressure on the prices of food, transportation and other goods.
“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them,” the ADC said.
It also warned the ruling party against interpreting Nigerians’ resilience in the face of economic difficulties as acceptance of government policies.
“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 party said.
