The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the Federal Government’s $1 billion Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme as an “audio intervention” designed to divert attention from the economic hardship caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday while reacting to the government’s recently announced poverty-reduction initiative and the ongoing debate over fuel subsidy.
Abdullahi questioned the funding structure of the programme, arguing that the government’s admission that it does not have the full $1 billion raises doubts about the initiative.
“I listened to the minister saying that they don’t have that money but they have a commitment. It was an audio intervention; it means that it’s phantom.
“You know this government and phantom things. It was a phantom because they said, ‘No, we don’t have the $1 billion; we are only saying that we have a commitment of 50 per cent of that,’” Abdullahi said.
He alleged that the announcement was hurriedly made to shift public attention from the government’s handling of the fuel subsidy.
“So it’s just a statement that they hurriedly put out to divert attention from the failure of the subsidy that they have embraced,” the ADC spokesman stated.
$1bn Social Protection Programme
The Federal Government on Wednesday launched the Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme, a $1 billion initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable Nigerians and helping them achieve long-term economic self-reliance.
The programme targets about 7.6 million vulnerable households, with eligible families expected to receive a one-off cash transfer of ₦40,000.
Beneficiaries are to be identified through the National Social Register and verified using their National Identification Numbers (NINs).
The government said the initiative would also improve coordination among poverty-reduction programmes and enable authorities to track households as they move from vulnerability towards economic stability.
Abdullahi, however, questioned the role of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, at the launch of the programme, arguing that it was a Federal Government initiative rather than a personal project.
“At the launch, it was the wife of the President, and we said, what’s her constitutional role? Because it was a Federal Government project; it’s not a pet project of the First Lady. Why is she the one leading it?” he asked.
‘Subsidy Reversal’ Defence
The ADC spokesman also defended the party’s position on the removal of petrol subsidy, following debates over the policy.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is ADC’s presidential candidate, had said he would reverse the subsidy removal if elected, arguing that the government should introduce measures to reduce the cost of living and provide relief to Nigerians.
Abdullahi said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was “running helter-skelter” because Nigerians were increasingly receptive to the ADC’s position on the economy.
“Why are they running helter-skelter since we brought up the issue of subsidy? When last did you hear any governor in APC, or the president, as a matter of fact, talk about helping Nigerians to travel cheaper?
“They are only reacting because the ADC and Atiku Abubakar said we are going to reduce the cost of living and that is our priority, and we are going to introduce a production subsidy.
“They’ve ruined livelihoods, and every single analyst and commentator will tell you that the snowballing of poverty since President Bola Tinubu came to power is directly consequential to the action they took on the removal of subsidy. This is a different country from 2023. Nigerians have suffered, and Nigerians are too poor as a people not to require support in an economy like this,” Abdullahi said.
“That is the point the ADC is making: our economic principle will be anchored on the protection of ordinary Nigerians.”
Tinubu Rejects Subsidy Reversal
President Bola Tinubu criticised the calls for the reversal of the petrol subsidy removal, describing the proposal as a “demonstration of serious ignorance on governance and the economy”.
The presidency, through Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga and Senior Special Assistant Otega Ogra, also faulted the plan, claiming that bringing back the subsidy would cost Nigeria an astronomical ₦19.1 trillion annually. They warned that it would resurrect the same fiscal distortions and economic pressures that led to its initial removal.
Tinubu announced the end of the petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023, declaring that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
The decision quickly led to a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to higher transportation costs, with wider effects on food prices and the cost of living.
The debate over the subsidy has since remained a major issue in discussions about the government’s economic reforms and the rising cost of living.
The post FG’s $1bn Poverty Reduction Scheme Is ‘Audio Intervention,’ Says ADC appeared first on Channels Television.