By Ayodele Quadri, Lagos Times Correspondent
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has issued a stinging critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that he “chooses to stand with the people” as retail petrol prices cross ₦1,400 per litre across Nigeria.
The statement, issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, titled “Tinubu, the issue is not Atiku — it is why Nigerians can no longer afford to live,” directly responds to recent presidential remarks dismissing Atiku’s alternative economic and energy plans.
Core Highlights of Atiku’s Statement
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The Minimum Wage Analysis: Atiku pointed out that for a worker earning the ₦70,000 statutory minimum wage, purchasing just 40 litres of petrol at ₦1,400 per litre costs ₦56,000—consuming 80% of an entire month’s income before paying for food, rent, utilities, or medical bills.
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“Ashamed on Your Behalf”: Atiku expressed shame on behalf of President Tinubu regarding how Nigeria—one of Africa’s primary oil producers—forces citizens to pay vastly higher petrol rates than other African oil nations with higher living standards.
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Comparative Pricing Example: The statement cited Libya, noting that despite years of political instability, petrol sells at roughly ₦34 per litre (ranking 115th globally in human development), whereas Nigeria sells at ₦1,400 per litre while ranking around 164th.
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Rejection of “Villa Arithmetic”: Atiku rejected claims by the Presidency that his energy policy would cost ₦22 trillion, calling the figure “Villa arithmetic built on Villa assumptions” designed to divert attention from declining household purchasing power.
“Atiku chose to stand with the people. That is a commitment. And, Bola, Atiku is ashamed on your behalf that Nigeria, one of Africa’s major oil-producing nations, has reached the point where ordinary citizens pay significantly more for petrol than citizens of several other oil-producing countries with substantially higher incomes… A worker earning ₦70,000 requires ₦56,000 merely to buy 40 litres of petrol—four-fifths of a month’s wage disappears into a single tank.”
— Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant to Atiku Abubakar
