Atiku Abubakar 2011 President campaign Photo by www.mortenfauerby.dk ©mortenfauerby 2010 - all rights reserved
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to President Bola Tinubu’s remarks in Bayelsa state, where he seems to defend Nigeria’s rising cost of living by comparing local fuel prices to those in other African nations.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the opposition accused the President of painting a misleading and gravely distorted picture of the economic hardship facing ordinary Nigerians.
Shaibu argued that using fuel prices alone to gauge economic well-being, without factoring in purchasing power, income levels, and overall living costs, showed either a “fundamental misunderstanding of economic realities” or a deliberate attempt to shift blame from policy failures.
“Nigerians don’t live on petrol — they live on income,” he said.
He admitted that Nigeria’s petrol prices may look cheaper than those in Kenya or South Africa, but said the comparison collapses when measured against real earnings. Kenya’s GDP per capita, he noted, is almost twice Nigeria’s. A minimum wage earner in Nairobi takes home about ₦170,000, more than double Nigeria’s ₦70,000 minimum wage, yet Nigerians face what he called a higher cost of living.
Shaibu also faulted Nigeria’s uniform national minimum wage, contrasting it with Kenya’s tiered system that adjusts pay based on cost-of-living differences across regions and cities.
About the Author
