Atiku Abubakar Critiques Tinubu's Fuel Transport Pledges

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's recent pledge to collaborate with governors to reduce public transport costs. He described this as a "desperate and belated" reaction to a cost-of-living crisis attributed to Tinubu's administration.

Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that the government's CNG conversion figures reflect a "scorecard of failure," noting that only about 120,000 vehicles have been converted in over three years, which is less than one percent of the estimated 14 million vehicles on Nigerian roads. He argued that Tinubu's assertion that cheaper fuel would lead to cheaper fares indicates a disconnect from the realities faced by Nigerians.

Atiku emphasized that the government's energy policy has exacerbated transport and food costs, leading to a purchasing-power crisis, and criticized the timing of Tinubu's pledges as politically motivated with elections approaching.