The African Democratic Congress has warned President Bola Tinubu that rising fuel and food prices under his administration are pushing Nigerians dangerously close to their limits of endurance.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Tuesday, the ADC said petrol prices of up to N1,470 per litre had increased the cost of transportation, food, electricity, education and other necessities.
The warning comes amid an increase in petrol prices, which has added to the burden of households and businesses already grappling with the high cost of living.
The ADC described petrol at N1,470 per litre as a “Tinubu Tax,” which has worsened hardship faced by Nigerians.
The statement read, “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 respond directly to the price of fuel.
“At N1,470 per litre, it is 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.”
The ADC noted that widespread reports of private schools increasing fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, while incomes have not increased anywhere near that margin, were another evidence of how life has become progressively worse under the All Progressives Congress government.
“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,” it stated.
The party said it did not blame school proprietors who, it said, were themselves struggling 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 party held.
It said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would restore fuel subsidy to lower petrol prices and reduce the cost of food, transport and production.
“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,” the party added.
The ADC said the 2027 election would give Nigerians a choice between continuing with Tinubu’s policies and supporting its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for an alternative economic programme.
It added, “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.
“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.”
In the same vein, the Atiku-Amaechi Movement 2027 has urged the Federal Government to urgently address the latest increase in petrol prices, warning that the rising cost of Premium Motor Spirit is placing an unbearable burden on Nigerians already grappling with economic hardship.
The movement’s National Organising Secretary, Yahuza Sanyinna, made the call in a statement.
Sanyinna lamented that the latest fuel price increase was coming at a time when Nigerians were struggling with high food prices, rising transport fares, increasing school expenses, electricity costs and other economic pressures.
He said, “The latest increase has come at a particularly difficult period for Nigerian families, workers, students, farmers, traders, transporters and small businesses.”
According to him, while the movement recognises that Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector is deregulated and that factors including international crude oil prices, exchange rates and logistics influence the price of refined products, the government must protect citizens from the effects of severe economic shocks.
He said, “Government has a responsibility to protect citizens from unbearable economic shocks and to ensure that necessary mitigation measures are put in place.”
He warned that the consequences of higher petrol prices would go beyond filling stations, stressing that the development would have a ripple effect on transportation, food distribution, agriculture, manufacturing and virtually every aspect of economic activity.
Sanyinna, therefore, called for immediate engagement between the Federal Government, refiners, marketers and other stakeholders to explore measures for stabilising petrol prices.
He also urged the government to strengthen monitoring of the downstream sector to check hoarding, artificial scarcity, profiteering and what he described as unjustified price increases.
The movement further called for the expansion of targeted palliatives for vulnerable Nigerians, particularly low-income families, farmers, transport workers, students and small businesses.
He urged the government to accelerate investment in domestic refining capacity, saying Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country should translate into more affordable and reliable petroleum products for its citizens.
He also advocated stronger public transportation systems to cushion the impact of rising transport fares on workers, students and other low-income Nigerians.
Sanyinna called for greater transparency in the management of petroleum-sector revenues and interventions, while urging the government to engage organised labour, business groups and civil society organisations in finding sustainable solutions to the economic hardship.
He said, “As a movement committed to the future of Nigeria, we believe that economic reforms must ultimately serve the people.”
He added that reforms should not be measured only by market efficiency or government revenue but also by their impact on the ability of ordinary Nigerians to afford food, transportation, education, healthcare and other necessities.
He said Nigeria must develop an economy capable of shielding citizens from external economic shocks rather than leaving households to bear the consequences whenever there are major changes in the international oil market.
“This is not a call for confrontation. It is a call for compassion, accountability and responsible leadership,” Sanyinna said.
He appealed to the Federal Government to treat the latest petrol price increase as an urgent national concern and introduce measures to reduce its impact on Nigerians.
“Nigerians have endured a great deal. They deserve policies that give them hope, dignity and a realistic opportunity to survive and prosper,” he said.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
