The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has delivered a strong message to President Bola Tinubu, warning that the rising cost of petrol and its impact on food, transportation, electricity and education are pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
The party said the situation had become particularly unbearable as petrol prices climbed to as high as N1,470 per litre, while private schools were reportedly increasing fees by between 30 and 40 per cent amid stagnant incomes.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the rising fuel price had become a major driver of the worsening cost-of-living crisis confronting households and businesses across the country.
“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,” the party said.
The ADC said the increase in school fees was further evidence of the pressure facing families, noting that parents’ incomes had not risen anywhere near the reported 30 to 40 per cent increase in education costs.
“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 said.
The opposition party, however, said it did not blame school proprietors for the increases, arguing that they were also grappling with higher taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and wage obligations.
It described parents, workers and businesses as “casualties” of the economic policies of the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The ADC further described the petrol price as a “Tinubu Tax”, alleging that the rising cost of fuel was making life increasingly unbearable for Nigerians.
“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. Under Tinubu and the APC, Nigerians have been tightening their belts. Now, there are no more holes left, and people have started to choke,” the party said.
It alleged that families were now skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses, while accusing public officials of maintaining extravagant lifestyles at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.
The party said an economic reform that continuously impoverished citizens could not be regarded as successful, arguing that government policies should improve living standards rather than impose greater hardship.
It said the 2027 general election would give Nigerians an opportunity to choose between continuing with the Tinubu administration’s policies and the alternative economic programme proposed by its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The ADC also restated Atiku’s commitment to reducing petrol prices through the restoration of subsidy to support domestic fuel production, which it said would help lower 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.
It urged the Federal Government not to interpret Nigerians’ resilience as acceptance of the prevailing hardship.
“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.
