In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the President’s remarks as misplaced and disconnected from the economic realities on the ground.
President Tinubu had, during a visit to Bayelsa State on Friday, noted that petrol prices in Nigeria remain lower than in countries like Kenya. While acknowledging the pain caused by rising costs, he urged Nigerians to be grateful for the relatively lower pump prices and promised relief measures.
Reacting sharply, Atiku said the President’s selective use of fuel prices as a metric of economic well-being overlooks more critical indicators such as purchasing power, income levels, and the overall cost of living.
“It is both curious and troubling that the President would isolate fuel prices as a metric of economic comfort while ignoring the far more critical indicators of purchasing power, income levels, and cost of living,” Atiku said.
“This selective reasoning betrays either a fundamental misunderstanding of economic realities or a deliberate attempt to deflect from policy failures.”
He acknowledged that Nigeria’s petrol prices may appear lower than those in Kenya or South Africa, but argued that such comparisons collapse when placed against the broader economic context. “Nigeria today is more expensive to live in than Kenya, with the average cost of living significantly higher, despite lower fuel prices,” he added.
Atiku also highlighted the widening gap in earnings between the two countries. “Kenya’s GDP per capita is nearly double that of Nigeria, and a minimum wage earner in Nairobi takes home the equivalent of about ₦170,000—more than twice Nigeria’s ₦70,000,” he said.
“In effect, while a Kenyan earns more and pays more, a Nigerian earns far less and is forced to survive under crushing economic pressure. This is the reality the President chose to ignore.”
The former vice president further criticized Nigeria’s wage structure for failing to reflect regional economic disparities, warning that the current economic environment has severely eroded living standards.
“The implication is clear: affordability is not defined by price alone, but by the relationship between income and expenditure. On this measure, Nigerians have never had it worse,” Atiku stated.
He cautioned that a government which relies on selective comparisons while its citizens grapple with rising poverty, inflation, and declining living standards risks appearing not only out of touch but indifferent.
“It is, therefore, deeply disappointing that at a time when citizens expect empathy, clarity, and decisive leadership, the President has chosen the path of statistical convenience,” he concluded.