The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the rising cost of petrol and its wider impact on household expenses are placing Nigerians under increasing economic pressure.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said in a statement that with petrol retailing at as much as N1,470 per litre in some locations, the rising cost of transportation was adding to the burden on households and businesses, while higher prices for food, education and other essential goods and services were further straining family incomes.

According to the ADC, the increase in fuel prices has a direct effect on several areas of the economy, including transportation, electricity generation, food distribution, education and production.

“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians,” the party said, arguing that the price of fuel has become a major driver of the rising cost of living.

The ADC also pointed to reports of private schools increasing tuition and other fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, saying the increases were occurring at a time when household incomes had not risen at a comparable rate.

The party said many families were already struggling to absorb higher costs for fuel, food, housing and transportation, making additional increases in school fees particularly difficult.

“Parents are not earning 40 per cent more. Their salaries have not risen with the prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation, and school fees,” the statement said.

The ADC, however, said it did not blame school proprietors for the increases, noting that education providers were also facing higher operating costs, including taxes, electricity bills, fuel, rents and staff salaries.

“Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy,” the party said.

The opposition party further argued that the cumulative effect of higher living and operating costs was placing households and businesses under severe strain. It alleged that some families were being forced to reduce food consumption, withdraw children from school, delay medical treatment or shut down businesses as they struggled to cope with escalating expenses.

The ADC also criticised the government’s economic reform programme, arguing that improvements in official economic indicators would have limited meaning if ordinary Nigerians continued to experience declining purchasing power and rising living costs.

“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working,” the party said. “An economic policy that produces impressive figures at government briefings but hunger in Nigerian homes is a failure.”

The party also questioned the extent to which ordinary citizens were being asked to bear the burden of economic adjustment while public officials, in its view, continued to maintain costly lifestyles.

ADC Pledges Alternative Economic Programme

Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the ADC said it believes Nigerians will have an opportunity to choose between continuing with the current economic direction and its proposed alternative programme.

The party reiterated the commitment of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to reducing the cost of petrol through the reintroduction of subsidy measures linked to increased domestic fuel production.

According to the ADC, such measures would help reduce transportation and production costs and could, in turn, moderate the prices of food and other essential goods and services.

“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them,” the party said.

The ADC maintained that Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country should translate into greater economic relief for citizens, rather than continued increases in the cost of accessing petrol.

The party concluded by urging the Tinubu administration not to interpret Nigerians’ resilience as acceptance of current economic conditions.

“Our resilience must not become an excuse for continued cruelty,” the ADC said, calling on the President to take urgent steps to address the pressure facing households, workers and businesses.

“President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the party said.