By Jelili Gbadamosi
Dr Reuben Abati, Arise TV anchor has challenged President Bola Tinubu to take responsibility for the rising cost of living instead of blaming opposition parties for the hunger and poverty confronting Nigerians.
Abati, speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, argued that the opposition could not be held responsible for the current economic hardship because it is not in control of the Federal Government.
He noted that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been in power since 2015, while Tinubu is approaching his fourth year as President.
Abati particularly pointed to the sharp increase in the price of petrol, recalling that Tinubu inherited a pump price of about N195 per litre, which has since risen to between N1,400 and N1,500.
He argued that the increase in fuel prices, alongside the naira’s devaluation, had contributed significantly to the rising prices of food and other essential commodities.
“You met the price of fuel at about N195, but now fuel is N1,400 to N1,500 per litre. That rise has caused food prices to go up. Bag of rice, garri, beans have all increased,” Abati said.
The journalist also compared the price of garri under the previous administration with its current cost, saying a paint bucket that sold for about N500 when Tinubu assumed office now costs around N2,500.
Abati therefore urged the President to shift attention from blaming his political opponents and concentrate on measures that would ease the economic burden on Nigerians.
His comments followed Tinubu’s recent statement at the APC presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, where the President blamed his political opponents for creating hunger and poverty in the country.
Tinubu had said: “I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created hunger, they created poverty. We are trying to eradicate it.”
