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Atiku Faults Tinubu’s Fuel Price Comparison with Kenya, Says Nigerians Worse Off Despite

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"KhOazs4G" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa<&sol;p><div class&equals;"b8oZdIn3" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu for comparing Nigeria’s petrol prices with those of other African nations&comma; arguing that such a comparison ignores the severe economic hardship facing Nigerians&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication&comma; Phrank Shaibu&comma; the former vice president described the President’s remarks as misplaced and disconnected from the economic realities on the ground&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>President Tinubu had&comma; during a visit to Bayelsa State on Friday&comma; noted that petrol prices in Nigeria remain lower than in countries like Kenya&period; While acknowledging the pain caused by rising costs&comma; he urged Nigerians to be grateful for the relatively lower pump prices and promised relief measures&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"5ScfT7Lw" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Reacting sharply&comma; Atiku said the President’s selective use of fuel prices as a metric of economic well-being overlooks more critical indicators such as purchasing power&comma; income levels&comma; and the overall cost of living&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It is both curious and troubling that the President would isolate fuel prices as a metric of economic comfort while ignoring the far more critical indicators of purchasing power&comma; income levels&comma; and cost of living&comma;” Atiku said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This selective reasoning betrays either a fundamental misunderstanding of economic realities or a deliberate attempt to deflect from policy failures&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He acknowledged that Nigeria’s petrol prices may appear lower than those in Kenya or South Africa&comma; but argued that such comparisons collapse when placed against the broader economic context&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Nigeria today is more expensive to live in than Kenya&comma; with the average cost of living significantly higher&comma; despite lower fuel prices&comma;” he added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Atiku also highlighted the widening gap in earnings between the two countries&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Kenya’s GDP per capita is nearly double that of Nigeria&comma; and a minimum wage earner in Nairobi takes home the equivalent of about ₦170&comma;000—more than twice Nigeria’s ₦70&comma;000&comma;” he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In effect&comma; while a Kenyan earns more and pays more&comma; a Nigerian earns far less and is forced to survive under crushing economic pressure&period; This is the reality the President chose to ignore&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The former vice president further criticized Nigeria’s wage structure for failing to reflect regional economic disparities&comma; warning that the current economic environment has severely eroded living standards&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The implication is clear&colon; affordability is not defined by price alone&comma; but by the relationship between income and expenditure&period; On this measure&comma; Nigerians have never had it worse&comma;” Atiku stated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He cautioned that a government which relies on selective comparisons while its citizens grapple with rising poverty&comma; inflation&comma; and declining living standards risks appearing not only out of touch but indifferent&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It is&comma; therefore&comma; deeply disappointing that at a time when citizens expect empathy&comma; clarity&comma; and decisive leadership&comma; the President has chosen the path of statistical convenience&comma;” he concluded&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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