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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s N70,000 monthly transport allowance for public service workers, describing it as inadequate to cushion the effects of rising living costs.
Mr Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, said the intervention amounted to a temporary measure that failed to address the broader economic challenges facing Nigerian households and businesses.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku argued that the allowance could not adequately address rising transportation, food, energy and housing costs.
He said the government’s decision to introduce the support reflected its failure to tackle the consequences of its economic policies.
“The Tinubu administration is scrambling from one announcement to another, showing its failure to grasp the crisis. The cost of living crisis reaches beyond transport: energy, food, rent and other essentials affect every part of daily life,” he said.
Atiku noted that rising operating costs had affected businesses across different sectors, including barbershops, restaurants, retail shops and school transport services.
He argued that the hardship extended beyond public service workers to private sector employees, traders, small business owners, transport operators and millions of Nigerians working in the informal economy.
“If public service workers receive N70,000 monthly for transport from November, what happens to private sector workers, traders, small businesses, transport operators and millions without formal jobs?” he asked.
“The public workforce is only a fraction of Nigeria’s population. A temporary allowance for some cannot solve a national crisis.”
The former vice president also questioned the implementation arrangements for the proposed support, calling on the government to clarify eligibility requirements and payment dates.
He further demanded clarity on when the outstanding issues surrounding the implementation of a new minimum wage would be resolved.
According to him, any meaningful intervention must provide clear timelines and address the wider pressures on household incomes.
Atiku said the allowance would offer limited relief when measured against prevailing petrol prices.
“At about N1,400 per litre, N70,000 buys roughly 50 litres of petrol. What meaningful difference can 50 litres make over an entire month?” he said.
He accused the Tinubu administration of responding to the cost-of-living crisis with temporary payments rather than measures capable of delivering lasting economic relief.
“What Nigerians are witnessing is a government that set the house ablaze with its reckless policies, then pretends to fight the inferno by throwing ice cubes at the flames,” Atiku said.
He also faulted previous government interventions, including a fuel discount initiative and a 90-day cost-of-living plan, which he claimed had failed to deliver meaningful relief.
The ADC chieftain further criticised the government’s compressed natural gas, CNG, initiative, arguing that it had not sufficiently reduced transportation costs for Nigerians.
He said many households continued to struggle with high commuting expenses despite the government’s promises that alternative fuel sources would lower transport fares.
Mr Atiku also described the latest intervention as politically motivated, alleging that the government was making rushed announcements instead of addressing the underlying economic problems.
He maintained that the administration had failed to adequately address the effects of petrol subsidy removal, which he said had increased the financial burden on households and businesses.
The former vice president proposed what he described as a transparently managed production subsidy for petrol refined in Nigeria, arguing that it could provide relief at the pump.
“Atiku has proposed a practical alternative: a transparently managed production subsidy for fuel refined in Nigeria, delivering relief at the pump,” the statement said.
He argued that Nigerians should not bear the full burden of addressing corruption and financial leakages in the petroleum sector.
Mr Atiku said his proposed approach would seek to reduce fuel costs while ensuring transparency in the management of public resources.
He added that the government needed to prioritise measures that would lower the cost of living, improve household incomes and make employment more financially rewarding.
“N70,000 may help with transport, but it cannot explain why work, food and running a business have become unaffordable. Nigerians need lasting relief, decent wages and an economy that rewards honest work. When will life become affordable again?” he asked.
Mr Atiku said his campaign would pursue policies aimed at reducing living costs, increasing household incomes and restoring the dignity of work.
