Opposition presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi yesterday criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day address, disputing his assertion that Nigeria had moved beyond its economic difficulties and entered a period of prosperity.
Atiku argued that the administration’s claims of declining inflation and economic expansion do not correspond with the experiences of millions of Nigerians facing a deepening cost-of-living crisis.
He highlighted the erosion of purchasing power, noting that the N30,000 minimum wage in April 2023 could buy about 118 litres of petrol, whereas the current N70,000 wage is sufficient for only around 50 litres.
“A President may announce a new chapter in a speech. He cannot announce food onto a family’s table,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also advocated capped production subsidies for locally refined petrol while questioning the adequacy of student loan initiatives. He further called for greater transparency over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract, conditional cash transfers and the country’s N166.79 trillion public debt.
Obi, meanwhile, called for an immediate national reset, maintaining that Nigeria’s substantial resources had yet to translate into improved security, human development and widespread prosperity.
Referencing the levels of poverty, unemployment and displacement across the country, as well as a recent visit to an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Sokoto State, Obi said government should prioritise measurable performance and the welfare of citizens.
“My message today is not one of despair. It is a message of hope, determination and responsibility,” Obi said.
He also pledged that, if elected president, he would spend his holidays in Nigerian states rather than travelling abroad.
