Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), slammed President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, claiming that Nigerians can no longer feed their children and workers cannot afford transport fares.
The criticism was issued in a statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, the Director of Strategic Communications for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
Atiku cited an International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment from June 2026, which acknowledged that reforms had improved Nigeria’s macro‑economic outcomes but still estimated that 63 percent of Nigerians lived below the national poverty line and that 27 million people had experienced food insecurity in late 2025.
The IMF warned that rising fuel, food and transport costs could worsen poverty and food insecurity. Current fuel‑price pressures have intensified the strain on household budgets, with petrol selling at around N1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja and as high as N1,500 in parts of northern Nigeria in September, while diesel has exceeded N2,000 per litre.
“The philosophy of an economic reform cannot be that the poor surrender more and more while those already insulated from hardship become increasingly comfortable,” Atiku said. “Nigerians were promised that today’s pain would produce tomorrow’s gain. After more than three years, they are entitled to ask: gain for whom?”
“A mother cannot feed her children with a government revenue announcement. A worker cannot pay transport fare with a speech about reform. Nigerians do not eat GDP figures, FAAC allocations or PowerPoint presentations. The numbers must eventually arrive at the dinner table.”
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
