By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the Federal Government’s $1 billion social protection programme as a belated response to the hardship caused by President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had warned against such consequences.
The party said Nigerians had endured soaring food, transport and energy costs for three years, only for government to suddenly unveil a huge intervention as the 2027 elections draw closer.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC questioned the timing, funding and accountability of the programme unveiled by First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Abdullahi said Atiku’s proposal for targeted production subsidy to reduce the cost of living had been rejected by the administration, only for government to introduce a $1 billion intervention to cushion Nigerians from economic shocks.
“This is precisely what our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has been saying in proposing a targeted production subsidy to bring down the cost of living,” he said.
ADC also challenged the government to account for more than N600 billion it said had been disbursed as cash transfers to slightly more than 10 million households over the past three years.
The party demanded evidence of the beneficiaries and measurable impact of the expenditure, while questioning the reliability of the social register used for such interventions.
It further questioned the proposed N40,000 ‘shock-response payment’, warning that the programme could amount to vote buying ahead of the 2027 elections.
“A government whose so-called reform has destroyed purchasing power through higher food, fuel, transport and energy costs, cannot now return with a one-off N40,000 per family, which it cynically tagged ‘shock-response payment’,” the party said.
ADC also questioned the constitutional and administrative basis for the First Lady’s role in unveiling a Federal Government programme involving $1 billion, demanding to know who approved the funds, under which budget head and which institution would account for the money.
“Where does the First Lady fit in within the official organogram of government?” the party asked.
While saying it supported genuine efforts to protect vulnerable Nigerians, ADC argued that palliatives could not substitute for policies capable of restoring purchasing power, production and dignity.
“If the Tinubu administration has suddenly discovered that Nigerians need protection from the cost of its failed reforms, then perhaps the first thing it should do is admit that Atiku was right: reform without relief is not courage; it is cruelty,” the party said.
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