Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu for his apparent indifference to the suffering caused by his administration’s policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
In a post on X on Thursday, Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), referred to Tinubu as “T-Pain,” suggesting that the President is drowning the welfare of Nigerians in distress.
“The chaotic and insincere handling of fuel subsidy by the current government is the root cause of our ongoing economic crisis,” Atiku stated.
“With the current situation, the relentless rise in inflation is further jeopardizing the material well-being of Nigerians. It is particularly concerning that T-Pain remains unfazed by the hardships faced by the populace,” he added.
On Wednesday morning, Nigerians experienced another unsettling development when the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) raised the petrol pump price in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In Lagos, many NNPCL outlets were observed selling a litre of petrol for N998, a significant increase of approximately N150 from the previous price of N855. This sudden rise triggered panic-buying among motorists, leading to long queues at filling stations.
Numerous filling stations not affiliated with NNPCL quickly adjusted their prices as well, with some selling petrol for as much as N1,050 in various areas of Lagos.
Similarly, in Abuja, NNPCL outlets increased the price of petrol from N897 to N1,030.
This latest price hike follows a previous increase on September 2, 2024, when the NNPCL raised the price per litre from N568 to N855, sparking widespread outrage.
Although there has been no official communication from NNPCL regarding the recent price increase, the company hinted at a forthcoming rise when it began loading its initial batch of petrol from the Dangote Refinery in mid-September.
