ADC: N50,000 cash relief payment an election gimmick

• Says it shows Tinubu’s desperation

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the Federal Government’s sudden announcement of a N50,000 monthly cash relief as an election gimmick.

The announcement, the ADC claimed, was driven by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s desperation rather than any genuine concern for millions of suffering Nigerians thrown into hardship by the government’s own cruel economic policies.

The opposition party said this on saturday in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary,

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi in Abuja.

The ADC pointed out that the timing of the announcement raises serious questions about the government’s motives, claiming that the intervention is only a panic reaction by the Tinubu government to the opposition party’s promise to reduce the cost of living and to make life more affordable for Nigerians if it comes into power in next year’s general election.

According to the statement,

“President Tinubu is in full panic mode now. Since the ADC and our Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have made affordability and reducing the cost of living the cardinal focus of our campaign, the government has been announcing one desperate intervention or another.

“In August, they announced a $1 billion so-called ‘Renewed Hope Social Intervention Fund’. But it was only an announcement, nothing more. “Then, they announced a 30-day fuel discount, which made no sense. Then they announced the so-called cheaper transportation by October 1 across the states. Again, nothing happened. “They have also announced a N70,000 transportation allowance to workers. Now, it is N50,000 for everyone. They are just thrashing around, hoping that something would stick,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC questioned what meaningful relief N50,000 could provide to an average Nigerian household under the prevailing economic conditions.

Continuing, the party said, “What exactly is N50,000 supposed to buy in Tinubu’s Nigeria today? How much food can a family purchase with that amount? How much transport can it cover? And for how long? “Petrol prices have risen roughly sevenfold. Food and transportation costs have followed, not to talk of the cost of basic drugs. It is just a desperate and cynical attempt to buy back the goodwill of the people. But it is too little, too late,” the party said.

The ADC said the Tinubu administration had the chance to address the underlying causes of poverty in the country but failed to do so.

It said, “They mismanaged their own economic reforms. Everyone warned them that what they were doing and how they were doing it would only make life difficult for the people. Their only reaction for three years was to tell the people to continue to endure.

“If they could give N50,000 to vulnerable Nigerians, why didn’t they factor it into reform plans from day one rather than make it an election-season handout? It’s either they didn’t think of it, which makes them dangerously incompetent, or they simply chose to leave the people to suffer and wait for the election to throw them crumbs, which makes them dangerously wicked.”

The ADC also warned that programmes such as the announced intervention fund have been characterised by a lack of accountability, which poses the real risk that this could be another opportunity for diverting public funds.

The party recalled a recent report by the Auditor-General that raises questions over similar funds under the Tinubu government.

The ADC asked, “What has happened to the findings of the Auditor-General concerning the billions of naira in previous cash transfers that could not be properly accounted for? “Have those responsible been held accountable? How can a government that has failed to explain what happened to its previous intervention funds expect Nigerians to trust it with another programme involving billions of naira?”

The party warned that, given the history of social intervention programmes under this administration, the latest initiative raises legitimate concerns about transparency and the possible diversion of public resources for partisan purposes.

It said, “At best, this is an election gimmick designed to deceive Nigerians into believing that a government which has neglected them for more than three years suddenly cares about their welfare.

“At worst, it could become another scheme to siphon public funds under the convenient cover of poverty alleviation.”

The ADC maintained that the solution to Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis lies in restoring purchasing power, reducing the cost of food, energy and transportation.