The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of turning petrol pump price into an instrument of punishment for Nigerians.
ADC in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said with petrol now selling for as much as N1,470 per litre, every journey had become more expensive, while food and even basic education are being priced out the hands of citizens.
“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 stated.
According to the party, Tinubu government’s economic policy is pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
ADC said there are reports that private schools have increased fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, while incomes have remained stagnant.
“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 party stated.
ADC described the N1,470 per litre of petrol as Tinubu’s tax, which it said, has made life unbearable for the majority.
The party stated that under Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), families have skipping meals, withdrawing their children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses.
“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,” ADC stated.
The party told Nigerians that the 2027 election presents with a choice between carrying on with enduring President Tinubu’s punishment and embracing the relief programme proposed by the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
It restated its presidential candidate’s commitment to reducing the price of petrol by bringing back subsidy to support domestic production of fuel, which would, in turn, ease the cost of food, transportation and production.
“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them.
“Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens experience every visit to a filling station as punishment,” ADC said.
It therefore warned the ruling party not to mistake the patience of Nigerians for approval or surrender.
“Their 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 warned.
