Nigeria’s opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) issued a sharply critical birthday statement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, using the occasion to highlight soaring fuel prices, rising insecurity, economic hardship, and what it called a shrinking political space under his administration.
The statement, titled “ADC Wishes President Tinubu A Happy Birthday,” offered a prayer that the president’s final year in office would bring “a sudden and unfamiliar miracle” of more serious governance and accountability.
“Under your watch, fuel prices have risen by nearly 500%, turning basic transportation into a daily calculation of survival,” the party said. It also noted that Nigeria has climbed to fourth place on the Global Terrorism Index, adding that “every hour, a Nigerian is killed by insurgents.”
The ADC further accused the president of using language that “blurs accountability,” referencing his references to bandits and terrorists as “sons” and “brothers” even as victims bury loved ones.
The party described the promised “Renewed Hope” agenda as having turned into “hopelessness for millions of Nigerian families,” and warned of a “steady drift toward a one-party state” in Africa’s most populous democracy.
“But birthdays are for reflection,” the statement continued. “So as you celebrate your final year in office, Nigerians can only offer a prayer: that you begin to take governance more seriously; that you finally see the loss of lives under your watch as a failure of your leadership.”
The ADC concluded by wishing the president “good health, improved judgment, and a sense of responsibility to the people you govern,” ending with a terse “Happy Birthday, Mr. President!”
President Tinubu, who took office in May 2023, has previously defended his administration’s reforms as necessary for long-term stability and growth.