The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign, to explain what Nigerians have gained from the N15.8 trillion mobilised through fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms.
The party said government revenues had increased significantly, yet many Nigerian families continued to struggle with the rising cost of food, transportation and other basic necessities.
In a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the reforms generated about N15.8 trillion for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025.
According to the party, the Federal Government received N5.4 trillion, states N5.4 trillion and local governments N3.9 trillion.
“Government is counting trillions while Nigerian families are counting the meals they can afford,” the ADC said.
The party also cited N47.25 trillion in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to states between 2023 and 2025, saying allocations rose from N10.09 trillion in 2023 to N15.26 trillion in 2024 and N21.90 trillion in 2025.
It added that monthly FAAC allocations had crossed N2 trillion, compared with less than N1 trillion before the removal of subsidy.
The ADC, however, said the increase in government revenue had not translated into corresponding improvements in living standards.
It noted that petrol prices rose from about N185 per litre in May 2023 to more than N1,300 in many locations by August 2025, while food inflation exceeded 40 per cent at certain points and transportation costs increased sharply.
The party also criticised the government over the slow implementation of compressed natural gas (CNG) mass transit initiatives.
“Before asking Nigerians for four more years, Senator Yari and the APC must answer one question: after N15.8 trillion in additional resources, record FAAC allocations and three years of unprecedented sacrifice, are Nigerians better off?” it asked.
The ADC also questioned why some states continued to borrow despite receiving significantly higher allocations, citing reports that about 20 states borrowed N458 billion in 2025.
“After N47.25 trillion to states in three years, Nigerians have a right to ask: where are the results?” the party said.
It challenged governments to account for the additional resources by identifying the schools, hospitals, roads and mass transit systems funded with the increased revenues.
The opposition party further criticised the government over unpaid contractors, unimplemented budgets and poor infrastructure, arguing that workers’ salaries were increasingly insufficient to cope with the rising cost of living.
“The big lie is in government telling Nigerians that its reforms are working while driving the country towards certain destruction,” the ADC said.
On transportation, the party questioned why the government had taken more than three years to develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing the burden on commuters ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If Senator Yari says subsidy can never return, then he must tell Nigerians what the President’s campaign is offering instead. What is the plan to dramatically reduce petrol prices and bring down food and transportation costs before 2027? ‘Endure’ is not an economic policy,” it said.
The ADC clarified that it was not advocating a return to the previous subsidy regime, which it described as corrupt and opaque.
Instead, the party said it would prioritise domestic refining supported by targeted and transparent measures aimed at lowering fuel prices and reducing the cost of living.
“The 2027 election will not be about who shouted ‘liar’ the loudest. It will be about who can put food on Nigerians’ tables, create jobs, provide security, and reduce the cost of living. Nigerians have sacrificed enough. They need a break,” the party said
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