Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Friday urged Nigerians to appreciate the availability of fuel despite rising costs, saying they are better off than citizens in Kenya and other African nations grappling with shortages and high prices.
According to the President, although fuel prices are biting harder, Nigerians are still in a relatively better position and should be grateful.
“Let’s just thank God together that you are better off listening to them in Kenya and other African countries—what they are going through,” Tinubu said while inaugurating projects executed by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Fuel prices have climbed to about ₦1,300 per litre, largely driven by the US–Israel–Iran tensions, which disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and rattled global oil markets.
The President said: “The fuel prices are biting hard. But look around. We will continue to find ways to ameliorate the suffering of the vulnerable.”
He added: “This is a government that cares. We will look at the numbers with finance, economic planning, and budgeting, and see what we can do to ease the burden.”
Tinubu attributed the hardship partly to global forces beyond Nigeria’s control, describing it as fallout from “the challenge of a war we didn’t call for, but the effects of an interrelated world that we share.”
However, the President’s comments have drawn criticism from sections of Nigerians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Reacting, Atiku said the comparison was misplaced and failed to reflect the economic realities faced by Nigerians.
“It is both curious and troubling that the President would isolate fuel prices as a metric of economic comfort while ignoring far more critical indicators such as purchasing power, income levels, and cost of living.
“This selective reasoning betrays either a fundamental misunderstanding of economic realities or a deliberate attempt to deflect from policy failures.”
He added that while petrol prices in Nigeria may appear lower than in countries like Kenya or South Africa, such comparisons collapse when viewed against broader economic realities.
“Nigeria today is more expensive to live in than Kenya, with the average cost of living significantly higher despite lower fuel prices,” Atiku said in a statement issued in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku further pointed to declining earning power among Nigerians, contrasting it with income levels in Kenya.
“More alarming is the collapse in earning power. Kenya’s GDP per capita is nearly double that of Nigeria, and a minimum wage earner in Nairobi takes home the equivalent of about ₦170,000—more than twice Nigeria’s ₦70,000.
“In effect, while a Kenyan earns more and pays more, a Nigerian earns far less and is forced to survive under crushing economic pressure. This is the reality the President chose to ignore.”
The former Vice President also criticised Nigeria’s wage structure, saying it fails to reflect regional economic disparities.
He stressed that affordability goes beyond pricing, warning that current economic conditions have worsened living standards.
“The implication is clear: affordability is not defined by price alone, but by the relationship between income and expenditure. On this measure, Nigerians have never had it worse.
“It is, therefore, deeply disappointing that at a time when citizens expect empathy, clarity, and decisive leadership, the President has chosen the path of statistical convenience.”
Discover more from Energy News Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.