The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening economic hardship in the country, following the rise in petrol prices to as much as ₦1,470 per litre. The party said the increase had made transportation and other basic necessities more expensive, pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja on Tuesday, the ADC said the impact of higher petrol prices was being felt across food, transportation, electricity, education and other areas of daily life. “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 also cited reports of private schools increasing fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, saying the development was another indication of the economic pressure on families. It said the increases were taking place at a time when incomes had not risen by a similar margin, leaving parents to contend with higher costs of 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 opposition party said it did not blame school proprietors for the fee increases, noting that they were also dealing with rising taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and salaries. “Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy.”
