Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said Nigerians want cheaper fuel and relief from the rising cost of transportation and food, arguing that high petrol prices have worsened the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
Atiku made the remarks during a BBC interview monitored by The News Chronicle while defending his proposal to restore a targeted fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
According to the former Vice President, the impact of expensive petrol goes beyond the filling station, as higher fuel prices push up transportation costs, which in turn drive food prices and place additional pressure on households.
“When fuel rises, transport rises. When transport rises, food rises. When food rises, families suffer,” Atiku said.
He said his proposed intervention was designed to break what he described as a damaging cycle affecting millions of Nigerians.
“I will break that wretched chain that has defined our national life in the nearly four years of Tinubu’s presidency,” he added.
Atiku maintained that the central objective of economic policy should be to improve Nigerians’ purchasing power, rather than simply increase government revenue.
“I believe the wealth of a nation is not measured by how much the government collects, but by how much the money in the pockets of its people can buy,” he said.
The ADC candidate also promised to make wages more valuable, reduce transportation costs for farmers and ease the pressure on families struggling with rising food prices.
“I want wages to have value again. I want farmers to move produce without transport swallowing their profits. I want families to fill their baskets without emptying their pockets,” Atiku said.
He said restoring a targeted subsidy would help reduce the link between fuel prices, transportation costs and food inflation.
“That is why I will restore targeted subsidies and put purchasing power back in the hands of Nigerians,” he said.
