Fuel hike: Ease Nigerians’ burden, Atiku tells Tinubu

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja   

African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has charged President Bola Tinubu, to use the remaining eight months of his administration to ease the economic burden on Nigerians.

Atiku, who stated this, at a press briefing, on Friday, in Abuja, said Nigerians have been living with the consequences of fuel subsidy removal by President Tinubu, on May 29, 2023, without adequate protection for families, workers, farmers and businesses during the transition.

According to him, for over three years, the burden of high petrol price on Nigerians has moved the petrol station to the bus stop down to family dining table.

Atiku, who is also a former vice president, noted that when petrol becomes expensive, it affects the price of transportation, food items, as well as other business logistics and energy.

The ADC candidate recalled that when he first argued that the Federal Government should review its approach to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and explore responsible intervention to bring down the cost of petrol, President Tinubu dismissed his proposal, saying it shows “serious ignorance” of governance and the economy.

According to him, “events since then have raised a simple question. Is the Nigeria Labour Congress also ignorant when it calls for urgent intervention to cushion workers from rising petrol prices?

“Are petroleum marketers ignorant when they call for policies that strengthen domestic refining and help moderate pump prices?

Are Nigerian manufacturers ignorant when they warn that power-related expenses now consume more than half of operating costs?

And are the millions of Nigerians crying out because they can no longer afford transportation, food and other basic necessities also ignorant?

“When workers, producers, marketers and ordinary families are all raising the alarm, government must listen. If everybody who questions your policy is ignorant, while only the President is presumed to be wise, then we have a leadership problem on our hands,” Atiku said.