The attempt by sections of the Nigerian opposition to pin the global cost-of-living crisis exclusively on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a classic case of political opportunism, intellectual dishonesty and the desperate search for a convenient scapegoat. It is akin to clutching at straws in the hope that public frustration can be converted into electoral capital.<\/p>\n
There is no denying that the rising cost of living has placed considerable pressure on households across Nigeria. Families are making difficult choices, businesses are battling increased operating costs, and millions of citizens are understandably anxious about their purchasing power. These concerns are real, their consequences are painful, and they deserve the serious attention of every responsible government.<\/p>\n
However, acknowledging the hardship Nigerians face must not become an excuse for abandoning facts, ignoring global economic realities or peddling the misleading impression that Nigeria exists in splendid isolation from the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
A GLOBAL CRISIS, NOT A NIGERIAN INVENTION<\/p>\n
The cost-of-living crisis is a global phenomenon that has affected countries across different continents, political systems and levels of economic development. From Europe to North America, from Asia to Africa, households have grappled with rising food prices, expensive energy, higher housing costs, increased transportation expenses and the erosion of disposable income.<\/p>\n
The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions to global supply chains, geopolitical conflicts, volatile energy markets, climate-related pressures on agricultural production and elevated borrowing costs have all contributed to the squeeze on household budgets in different parts of the world.<\/p>\n
Even advanced economies with stronger currencies, more diversified industrial bases and considerably greater fiscal capacity have witnessed public demonstrations, strikes and political backlash over the cost of living. Governments have faced mounting pressure to address expensive housing, food insecurity, energy bills and declining real wages.<\/p>\n
These protests are not peculiar to Nigeria, nor are they proof that one particular president is solely responsible for the economic difficulties confronting citizens. Rather, they demonstrate the scale of a global challenge whose consequences vary from country to country depending on economic structure, policy choices, domestic production capacity and the ability of governments to protect vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n
It is therefore intellectually indefensible to recognise the global dimension of this crisis when discussing other countries but suddenly pretend that Nigeria\u2019s difficulties are entirely the product of President Tinubu\u2019s policies when domestic political interests come into play.<\/p>\n
PROTESTS ARE A RIGHT; EXPLOITING HARDSHIP IS NOT A SOLUTION<\/p>\n
The Lagos APC recognises the constitutional right of Nigerians to express their grievances peacefully and demand better living conditions. In a democracy, citizens must be free to hold their government accountable, and public officials must remain responsive to the legitimate concerns of the people.<\/p>\n
However, the right to protest must not be confused with a licence for political disinformation. Neither should genuine public frustration be exploited by politicians who appear more interested in the political dividends of hardship than in offering credible solutions.<\/p>\n
The emergence of protests in different parts of the world over rising living costs should remind us that economic distress is a complex challenge requiring practical interventions, sustained reforms and responsible leadership. It should not become an invitation to reduce every economic difficulty to partisan finger-pointing.<\/p>\n
Nigerians deserve more than opposition politicians who can identify a problem but offer little beyond blame, sensationalism and the amplification of public anxiety. The question is not simply who can shout the loudest about hardship, but who can present workable alternatives, demonstrate the capacity to implement them and accept responsibility for their consequences.<\/p>\n
TINUBU\u2019S REFORMS AND THE COST OF ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT<\/p>\n
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office amid longstanding structural challenges, including fiscal pressures, dependence on imported petroleum products, foreign-exchange distortions, infrastructure deficits and a production base that has struggled to meet domestic demand in several critical sectors.<\/p>\n
The administration\u2019s decisions to reform the petrol subsidy regime and foreign-exchange arrangements were intended to address longstanding distortions and place public finances and the economy on a more sustainable footing. These policies, however, have also contributed to significant short-term adjustment costs, particularly through higher transportation and production expenses and their impact on food prices.<\/p>\n
The Lagos APC does not suggest that the existence of a global crisis absolves the Federal Government of responsibility for its domestic policy choices. Neither does it claim that every intervention has been sufficient or that the suffering of ordinary Nigerians should be dismissed.<\/p>\n
Rather, the point is that a fair assessment must distinguish between global economic pressures, inherited structural weaknesses, the immediate consequences of reform and the responsibility of government to mitigate their effects.<\/p>\n
The proper test of leadership is not whether a country can avoid every external shock, but whether its government can respond effectively, improve economic resilience, protect vulnerable citizens and create conditions for sustainable recovery.<\/p>\n
It is precisely on this basis that the Tinubu administration\u2019s reform programme and social-protection measures deserve a balanced assessment rather than the wholesale condemnation being promoted by political adversaries.<\/p>\n
SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS: GOVERNMENT CANNOT BE ACCUSED OF DOING NOTHING<\/p>\n
Contrary to the opposition\u2019s preferred narrative, the Federal Government has introduced and pursued various measures intended to cushion the impact of economic adjustment and provide relief to Nigerians facing the greatest hardship.<\/p>\n
These include cash-transfer programmes targeted at poor and vulnerable households, alongside broader social-intervention initiatives intended to support livelihoods, improve access to essential services and strengthen household resilience.<\/p>\n
The administration has also pursued student-loan support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, initiatives to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and agricultural interventions designed to improve production and food availability. Federal and state-level measures have also included efforts to expand access to affordable transportation and ease the burden on commuters.<\/p>\n
Such interventions are important because economic reforms cannot be judged solely by their fiscal objectives. They must also be evaluated by how effectively the benefits of reform are translated into improved welfare, expanded opportunities and greater economic security for ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n
Cash transfers, in particular, can provide a lifeline to qualifying households struggling to afford food and other essentials. When properly targeted, transparently administered and adequately monitored, they can help bridge the gap between immediate economic hardship and the longer-term benefits that reforms are intended to deliver.<\/p>\n
The critical issue, therefore, is not whether government should do more-it unquestionably should-but how to improve the reach, adequacy, transparency and effectiveness of these programmes.<\/p>\n
The Lagos APC urges the Federal Government to continue strengthening social protection, ensuring that intended beneficiaries receive assistance promptly, closing loopholes that enable diversion, and providing credible information on programme coverage and outcomes. Relief measures must be visible in the lives of the people they are designed to serve.<\/p>\n
A government can be challenged to do more without dishonestly claiming that it has done nothing at all.<\/p>\n
THE WAY FORWARD: FROM POLITICAL BLAME TO PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s economic recovery requires a sustained commitment to expanding domestic food production, improving logistics and transportation, strengthening local manufacturing, reducing dependence on imports, supporting small businesses and creating productive employment.<\/p>\n
It also requires policies that moderate inflationary pressures, encourage investment, improve infrastructure and strengthen the purchasing power of workers and households. These objectives demand patience, policy consistency, institutional discipline and constructive engagement among all levels of government and the private sector.<\/p>\n
The Federal Government must continue to review the impact of its policies, strengthen targeted assistance and communicate clearly with citizens about both the costs and expected benefits of its reforms. State and local governments equally have important responsibilities in food distribution, public transportation, local economic development and community-level support.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties, for their part, should demonstrate that they possess more than the capacity to criticise. They should articulate credible alternatives, explain how they would finance their proposals and show how their policies would protect vulnerable citizens without undermining fiscal sustainability.<\/p>\n
Political competition is healthy when it produces better ideas and stronger accountability. It becomes counterproductive when human hardship is treated merely as ammunition for partisan warfare.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION: NIGERIANS DESERVE HONESTY, NOT SCAPEGOATING<\/p>\n
The global cost-of-living crisis is real, and the pressure on Nigerian households is undeniable. No amount of political messaging can make the hardship disappear, and no responsible government should expect citizens to accept economic pain without demanding results.<\/p>\n
But neither should Nigerians be misled into believing that President Tinubu personally created every international economic headwind or that the complex challenges facing the country can be resolved through slogans and political blame.<\/p>\n
Holding the President accountable for his administration\u2019s choices is legitimate. Holding him exclusively responsible for a global crisis, while ignoring its international drivers, Nigeria\u2019s inherited structural weaknesses and the government\u2019s ongoing relief measures, is neither fair nor intellectually credible.<\/p>\n
The opposition may continue to clutch at the straws of public discontent in pursuit of political advantage. But Nigerians deserve a more serious conversation-one grounded in facts, constructive criticism, measurable outcomes and practical solutions.<\/p>\n
The real contest is not between those who can exploit hardship most effectively and those who can denounce it most loudly. It is between political opportunism and responsible leadership, between empty rhetoric and workable solutions, and between the temptation to inflame public frustration and the duty to help build a more prosperous Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Hon. Seye Oladejo
\nLagos APC Spokesman
\n23\/10\/26<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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