By Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026
ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, cautioning that his administration’s economic policies are driving citizens “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”
In an official press statement released on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition platform raised alarm over the relentless surge in the cost of living, driven primarily by sky-rocketing fuel prices across the country.
According to the statement, premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, now trades at as high as N1,470 per litre in several locations. The party declared that this price spike has effectively transformed routine journeys into heavy financial burdens, while pricing basic necessities—including food and primary education—far out of the reach of everyday families.
Petrol Pump Turned into ‘Instrument of Punishment’
Highlighting the ripple effect of the energy price surge, the ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of turning basic survival into a daily struggle for millions.
“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians,” the statement read. “Food, transportation, electricity, education, and everything Nigerians need to survive responds directly to the price of fuel and combine together to make life difficult for the majority of Nigerians.”
The party pointed to recent reports indicating that private schools across the country have hiked tuition fees by between 30 and 40 per cent. It stressed that these steep increases come at a time when households are seeing zero growth in earnings.
“Parents are not earning 40 per cent more. Their salaries have not risen with the prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation, and school fees. Yet, at every turn, this government demands that already exhausted families pay more,” Abdullahi stated.
Clarifying its position on school administrators, the opposition party stated that it does not blame proprietors, acknowledging that businesses themselves are battling escalating operating costs, including higher taxes, commercial electricity tariffs, rent, and wage demands.
“Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy,” the party added.
The ‘Tinubu Tax’ and Economic Realities
Characterising the soaring cost of petrol as an arbitrary levy on survival, the ADC stated that fuel has ceased to function as an ordinary commercial product.
“At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a commodity. It is a Tinubu Tax, which has made life unbearable for the majority. Under Tinubu and the APC, Nigerians have been tightening their belts. Now, there are no more holes left, and people have started to choke,” the party asserted.
The statement painted a vivid picture of the severe coping mechanisms adopted by distressed citizens, noting that families have begun skipping daily meals, withdrawing wards from academic institutions, foregoing crucial medical treatment, and liquidating micro-enterprises.
Furthermore, the ADC faulted the ruling class for demanding sacrifice from the public while failing to curb government extravagance.
“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working. An economic policy that produces impressive figures at government briefings but hunger in Nigerian homes is a failure. When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility,” the opposition stated.
Alternative Blueprint Ahead of 2027
Looking ahead to the next general election cycle, the ADC stated that the 2027 polls will serve as a referendum on the living standards of citizens, offering a choice between current economic conditions and alternative policy proposals.
The party reaffirmed the commitment of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to implement a comprehensive economic relief package aimed at restoring household purchasing power. Central to Atiku’s proposal, according to the statement, is a strategy to reduce the retail price of fuel by reintroducing targeted subsidies to bolster domestic refining and local production, thereby lowering transportation and food supply chain costs.
“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them,” the party declared. “Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens see every visit to a filling station as punishment.”
Concluding the press statement, the opposition party warned the administration against misinterpreting public endurance as endorsement.
“Our resilience must not become an excuse for continued cruelty. Tinubu has had enough time and inflicted enough pain. The people are suffering, businesses are dying, and hope is becoming increasingly expensive. President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the statement concluded.
