The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has claimed that petrol prices in Nigeria have increased by nearly 500 percent since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, made the assertion on Sunday while responding to criticism from the All Progressives Congress (APC), which accused the ADC of inciting Nigerians over its comments on the administration’s economic reforms.
Abdullahi said the opposition party relied on publicly available data to highlight the country’s economic realities. He cited reports indicating that Nigeria’s poverty rate has risen to 63 percent, up from about 50 percent before the removal of the petrol subsidy, describing the figures as evidence of the human impact of government policies.
“The independent report that triggered this debate shows that Nigeria’s poverty rate has risen to 63 percent, up from about 50 percent before the removal of petrol subsidy,” he said.
He also referenced survey findings suggesting growing dissatisfaction among citizens, noting that 93 percent of Nigerians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. According to him, 88 percent of respondents describe the national economy as “bad,” while 74 percent say their personal living conditions are “poor.”
“These are not opposition talking points. They are the views of Nigerians themselves, APC members included,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC spokesperson further stated that recent surveys show 82 percent of Nigerians went without enough food at least once in the past year, while the same percentage reported lacking access to medical care. He added that 79 percent said they were without cooking fuel at some point, 74 percent lacked clean water, and 95 percent had no cash income during the year.
Abdullahi also said petrol prices have climbed sharply from about N255 per litre before Tinubu took office to around N1,500 per litre in many parts of the country, driving up transportation and food costs. He questioned how the reported N6.4 trillion savings from the removal of the fuel subsidy are being utilised.
“Nigerians are therefore left to ask a simple question: if the subsidy savings are truly being redirected to critical sectors, where exactly is all the money going?” Abdullahi asked. “Why are local contractors not paid? Why are the universities still poorly equipped?”
He expressed concern about developments in the agricultural sector, noting that nearly 90 rice mills have reportedly shut down while others operate below capacity. Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Abdullahi said Nigeria’s food import bill increased from N3.83 trillion in 2023 to N7.65 trillion.
Abdullahi stressed that economic reforms should ultimately be judged by their effect on citizens’ welfare.
“When poverty rises from 50 percent to 63 percent, when nine out of ten Nigerians say the country is on the wrong path, and when millions struggle to afford basic necessities, it is clear that something is fundamentally wrong,” he said.
He added that Nigerians expect policies that improve living conditions, warning that the gap between official claims and the realities faced by citizens will widen if the government fails to prioritise their welfare.
