Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said the rising cost of living has made life increasingly difficult for Nigerians under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, said the N70,000 minimum wage could now buy only about 50 litres of petrol at N1,400 per litre.

He argued that the increase in the minimum wage had not kept pace with the rise in the cost of living, noting that the previous N30,000 minimum wage could purchase roughly 118 litres of petrol.

While acknowledging that minimum wages vary across countries, Atiku said Nigerian workers earn less than their counterparts in other oil-producing African countries, including Libya, Algeria and the Republic of Benin.

“At N1,400 a litre, the entire N70,000 monthly minimum wage buys just 50 litres of petrol. What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?”

“The payslip has grown, but the fuel it can buy has more than halved. Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life,” he stated.

Atiku’s comments came amid renewed calls from workers for further relief, with some civil servants proposing a N500,000 minimum wage or a reduction of petrol prices to N500 per litre.

Meanwhile, the Tinubu administration has acknowledged that the N70,000 minimum wage may no longer meet workers’ needs, with the government proposing an upward review.