Cost-Of-Living Crisis Not Tinubu’s Fault, Says Lagos APC

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the cost-of-living crisis is a global problem and that President Bola Tinubu should not be held solely responsible for the hardship facing Nigerians.

The party’s spokesman, Seye Oladejo, made the argument in a statement on Friday, noting that rising prices have hit countries across continents, political systems and income levels.

He accused sections of the opposition of trying to pin the crisis on the President alone.

“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,” Oladejo said.

However, he said the situation cannot be judged without factoring in external pressures such as the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, volatile energy markets, climate-related pressure on farming and high borrowing costs.

According to him, households in Europe, North America, Asia and other parts of Africa are also dealing with higher food, energy, housing and transport costs. He said protests over living costs in other countries show the crisis is global and not the fault of one leader.

Oladejo said the President should still be held accountable for his administration’s decisions, but any fair assessment must also account for Nigeria’s long-standing structural weaknesses and external shocks.

He conceded that the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to foreign exchange policy caused short-term adjustment costs, particularly higher transport and production expenses that fed into food prices. But he insisted the reforms were meant to correct old economic distortions and put public finances on firmer ground.

The APC spokesman added that the global nature of the crisis does not excuse the Federal Government from responsibility for its domestic policy choices, or remove the need to ease the burden on ordinary Nigerians.

He also rejected claims that the government has done nothing to cushion the impact, pointing to cash transfers for vulnerable households, student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and agricultural interventions.

Oladejo said such programmes should be judged by how well they reach their target beneficiaries and improve their welfare.

Still, he called for stronger social protection, greater transparency and better monitoring so that assistance reaches vulnerable Nigerians quickly.

He urged the Federal Government to boost domestic food production, improve transport and logistics, support local manufacturing, cut import dependence and create productive jobs.

He also asked state and local governments to step up efforts in food distribution, public transport and local economic development.

Oladejo challenged opposition parties to offer credible economic alternatives, explain how they would fund them and show how they would protect vulnerable citizens while keeping public finances sustainable.

He said political competition should produce better ideas and stronger accountability, not turn economic hardship into a tool for partisan conflict.

The spokesman said Nigerians deserve an honest assessment of the crisis, adding that blaming Tinubu alone for global pressures would ignore the international factors and structural weaknesses behind the country’s difficulties.

He added that the government should keep reviewing its policies, improve social protection and communicate clearly with citizens about the costs and expected benefits of its economic reforms.

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