Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government’s planned ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public sector workers, describing it as inadequate to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, said the intervention failed to address the broader economic difficulties facing Nigerians, including rising food prices, rent, energy costs and expensive transportation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku argued that the proposed allowance would provide only temporary relief while leaving millions of Nigerians struggling to meet their daily needs.
He said the payment, scheduled to begin in November, would benefit only public sector workers, leaving private sector employees, traders, small business owners and millions of Nigerians in the informal economy without similar support.
Atiku said the allowance’s value had been significantly eroded by petrol prices, arguing that ₦70,000 would purchase approximately 50 litres of petrol at ₦1,400 per litre, an amount he questioned whether workers could rely on for their monthly transportation needs.
He also called on the government to clarify the implementation timeline for the allowance, eligibility requirements and the outstanding issues surrounding the new minimum wage, insisting that Nigerians needed clear commitments rather than repeated announcements.
The former vice-president further faulted the government’s fuel discount and compressed natural gas initiatives, alleging that they had failed to deliver the promised relief. He accused the administration of relying on temporary payments instead of addressing the consequences of its economic policies.
Atiku advocated a transparently managed production subsidy for fuel refined locally, saying the government should pursue sustainable measures to reduce living costs, improve household incomes and make work more rewarding for Nigerians.
