₦1,470 Petrol: ADC Says Tinubu Pushing Nigerians To Breaking Point

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening the economic hardship facing Nigerians, following the increase in petrol prices to as high as ₦1,470 per litre.

The opposition party said the latest fuel price hike had triggered a fresh wave of increases in the cost of food, transportation, electricity, education and other essential services, warning that Nigerians were being pushed towards “the limits of human endurance.”

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the rising cost of petrol had become a major driver of the economic difficulties confronting households and businesses.

“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians,” the party said.

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According to the ADC, the impact of the fuel price increase extends far beyond filling stations, as businesses pass higher energy and transportation costs to consumers.

The party also cited reports of private schools increasing tuition fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, arguing that the development had placed additional pressure on already stretched households.

It said parents were being confronted with simultaneous increases in the cost of food, rent, transportation, fuel and education, without corresponding improvements in their incomes.

“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 party said.

The ADC, however, said it did not blame school proprietors for the increases, noting that they were themselves struggling with rising electricity bills, fuel costs, taxes, rent and staff salaries.

“Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy,” it added.

The opposition party described the ₦1,470 per litre petrol price as an additional burden on Nigerians, arguing that its effects were being felt across virtually every sector of the economy.

“At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a commodity. It is a Tinubu Tax,” the party alleged.

The ADC further claimed that the economic pressure had forced some families to skip meals, withdraw children from school, abandon medical treatment and close businesses.

It also criticised what it described as the continued extravagant lifestyles of public officials, arguing that ordinary Nigerians were being asked to make sacrifices while government spending remained high.

“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working,” the party said.

The ADC argued that economic reforms should ultimately improve the welfare of citizens rather than deepen hardship, adding that positive government economic statistics would mean little if households continued to struggle with hunger and rising living costs.

“When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility,” it said.

Turning to the 2027 presidential election, the ADC said Nigerians would have an opportunity to choose between continuing with the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and the alternative programme being proposed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The party restated Atiku’s position that petrol prices could be reduced through the restoration of subsidy mechanisms to support domestic fuel production.

According to the ADC, such a policy would help reduce pressure on the cost of food, transportation and production.

“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them,” the party said.

The ADC also warned the Federal Government against interpreting Nigerians’ resilience in the face of hardship as acceptance of its policies.

“Our resilience must not become an excuse for continued cruelty,” the party said, urging President Tinubu to take immediate steps to address the rising cost of living.

The statement came amid continuing political debate over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy and its consequences for households and businesses.