The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the Federal Government’s newly announced N50,000 monthly cash relief, calling it a politically motivated move by a President who feels threatened by the opposition’s growing appeal.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the position known in a statement on Saturday.
He said the timing of the announcement casts doubt on the government’s intentions, describing it as a hurried response to the ADC’s pledge to lower the cost of living and make life more affordable for Nigerians if it wins next year’s general election.
“President Tinubu is in full panic mode now,” Abdullahi said, adding that since the party and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, placed affordability at the centre of their campaign, the government has rolled out one hurried intervention after another.
He listed several of them. In August, the government announced a $1 billion “Renewed Hope Social Intervention Fund,” which he said never went beyond the announcement stage.
A 30-day fuel discount followed, which he said made no sense, and then a promise of cheaper transportation across the states by October 1 that also failed to materialise.
A N70,000 transportation allowance for workers was announced next, and now the N50,000 payment for everyone.
According to him, the government is simply throwing ideas around in the hope that one will work.
The ADC also questioned how far N50,000 could go in a country where living costs have soared.
It asked how much food a family could buy with the sum, how much transport it could cover and for how long, noting that petrol prices have risen roughly sevenfold, with food, transport and basic drug prices following.
The party described the payment as a cynical attempt to win back public goodwill, saying it came “too little, too late.”
The party further accused the administration of squandering the opportunity to tackle the root causes of poverty.
It argued that the government mismanaged its own economic reforms despite repeated warnings, and that for three years its only response was to urge citizens to endure.
If the government could afford to pay vulnerable Nigerians N50,000, the party asked, why was the payment not built into the reform plan from the start instead of being offered as an election season handout? It said the answer is either dangerous incompetence or deliberate wickedness.
The ADC also raised concerns about accountability, warning that programmes like the announced intervention fund have been marked by weak oversight, which creates a real risk of public funds being diverted.
It recalled a recent report by the Auditor-General that questioned similar funds under the Tinubu government, and asked whether anyone had been held responsible for billions of naira in earlier cash transfers that could not be properly accounted for.
It wondered how a government that has not explained what happened to previous intervention funds can expect Nigerians to trust it with another programme running into billions.
According to the party, the history of social intervention programmes under this administration raises legitimate fears about transparency and the possible use of public resources for partisan ends.
It said that at best the payment is an election gimmick meant to persuade Nigerians that a government that has neglected them for over three years suddenly cares, and at worst it could become another scheme to siphon public funds under the cover of poverty alleviation.
The ADC maintained that the real answer to the cost of living crisis lies in restoring Nigerians’ purchasing power and reducing the cost of food, energy and transportation.
