Cosmas Chukwu, Enugu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded accountability for more than N600 billion it said was distributed through cash transfers to over 10 million households in the last three years, calling on the Federal Government to disclose the beneficiaries and demonstrate the impact of the expenditure.
The opposition party said the proposed intervention amounted to an admission that the government’s economic policies had worsened living conditions, arguing that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier warned about the likely consequences of the reforms.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC questioned the timing, funding arrangements and accountability mechanisms surrounding the one billion dollar programme recently unveiled by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
The party argued that Nigerians had spent the past three years battling rising food, transportation and energy costs, while the government was only now introducing a major social intervention as the country moves closer to the 2027 general elections.
Abdullahi said the development reinforced Atiku’s earlier proposal for a targeted production subsidy aimed at reducing the cost of living, which he claimed the Tinubu administration had rejected.
“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.
The ADC demanded an account of more than N600 billion it said had been distributed through cash transfers to slightly over 10 million households in the last three years.
It called on the Federal Government to publish details of the beneficiaries and provide evidence of the impact of the expenditure, while questioning the credibility of the social register being used for the interventions.
The party equally expressed concern over the proposed N40,000 “shock-response payment”, warning that the measure could be perceived as an attempt to influence voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the ADC, a one-off cash payment could not adequately compensate Nigerians for the loss of purchasing power caused by rising food, fuel, transport and energy costs.
“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.
The ADC further questioned the constitutional and administrative authority of the First Lady to unveil a Federal Government programme involving $1 billion.
It demanded clarification on who authorised the funds, the budgetary provision under which the money was appropriated and the government institution responsible for managing and accounting for the programme.
“Where does the First Lady fit in within the official organogram of the government?” the party asked.
While acknowledging the need for measures to protect vulnerable Nigerians, the ADC maintained that social interventions should not replace economic policies capable of restoring purchasing power, increasing production and improving citizens’ living standards.
The party argued that sustainable relief would require policies that address the underlying causes of the economic crisis rather than temporary cash handouts.
“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 ADC said.
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