ADC Warns Tinubu Over N1,470 Petrol Price, Says Nigerians Are at Their Limit

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned President Bola Tinubu that the rising cost of petrol and other essential goods is pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said petrol prices of up to N1,470 per litre had increased the cost of transportation, food, electricity, education and other basic necessities.

Abdullahi said the rising cost of petrol had placed additional pressure on households already struggling with increasing living expenses.

“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,” he said.

The ADC also expressed concern over reported increases in private school fees, saying some schools had raised their charges by between 30 and 40 per cent despite incomes failing to rise at a similar rate.

“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,” Abdullahi said.

The opposition party said it did not blame school proprietors for the increases, noting that they were also dealing with higher taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent and staff salaries.

According to the ADC, the rising cost of living had affected parents, workers and businesses across the country.

“At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a commodity. 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,” the party said.

The ADC further alleged that some families were skipping meals, withdrawing their children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses because of the economic pressure.

It also criticised the government for demanding sacrifices from Nigerians while public officials continued to spend on what it described as extravagant lifestyles.

“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,” Abdullahi said.

The party said the 2027 general election would give Nigerians an opportunity to choose between continuing with the Tinubu administration’s policies and the relief programme proposed by its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The ADC reiterated Atiku’s proposal to reduce petrol prices through the reintroduction of subsidy to support domestic fuel production, arguing that this would help reduce 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,” Abdullahi stated.

The party urged the Tinubu administration not to interpret Nigerians’ resilience as acceptance of the current economic situation.

“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 ADC said.