By Ibrahim Adamu, Abuja
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to work with state governors to reduce transportation costs, describing the move as a belated response to the hardship facing Nigerians.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, questioned the Federal Government’s progress under the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, arguing that the number of converted vehicles remains insignificant compared with the total number of vehicles operating across the country.
He said the government’s reported conversion of about 120,000 vehicles in more than three years could not be presented as a major achievement, particularly against estimates of millions of vehicles on Nigerian roads.
According to him, the development exposes what he described as the administration’s failure to provide effective measures to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Atiku argued that while CNG could reduce the operating cost of vehicles, it would not automatically address the declining purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians.
He said many workers, traders and families were struggling to afford transportation, food and other basic necessities, stressing that reducing the cost of running a vehicle would have limited impact if passengers could no longer afford to travel.
The former vice president also questioned the decision to set October 1 as a target for implementing measures aimed at reducing transportation costs, saying Nigerians were already facing high transport fares, food prices and rising business expenses.
He maintained that the immediate challenge was not simply the type of fuel being used but the wider decline in household purchasing power.
Atiku proposed what he described as a targeted and transparent subsidy mechanism tied to domestic production, arguing that such an intervention should be designed to benefit commuters, farmers, workers, traders and small businesses rather than politically connected individuals.
He also pledged that an administration led by him would support domestic refining, reduce energy costs and establish mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of any subsidy programme reach consumers.
Atiku further accused the Tinubu administration of creating economic hardship and subsequently relying on palliatives to manage its consequences.
He urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to reduce the cost of living, insisting that Nigerians should not have to wait for political timelines before receiving economic relief.
The ADC presidential candidate concluded by declaring that Nigerians had endured enough hardship under the current administration and expressed confidence that his political platform would provide an alternative approach to tackling the country’s economic challenges.
