Atiku Hits Tinubu Over Hardship, Labels Him ‘T-Pain’.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu for being unconcerned about the pain his policies, especially the elimination of petrol subsidy, have caused Nigerians.

In an X post on Thursday, Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential contender for 2023, referred to Tinubu as “T-Pain” for drowning Nigerians’ well-being.

The present administration’s haphazard and deceptive approach to managing fuel subsidies has resulted in the country’s current economic catastrophe.

“As things are, there will be no relief from the growing inflation rate, which is drowning Nigerians’ material well-being. It is even more concerning that T-pain remains unconcerned about the country’s agony,” Atiku added.

On Wednesday morning, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) retail shops in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, raised the pump price of petrol, generating yet another surprise for Nigerians.

In Lagos, our correspondent saw that many NNPCL stations offered a litre of the necessary commodity for₦998, approximately ₦150 higher than the initial price of₦855. The abrupt spike has caused concern among motorists and carriers, with snake-like lineups forming at filling stations.

Non-NNPCL filling stations in Lagos altered their pump pricing incrementally, with some selling up to ₦1050 in certain areas.

NNPCL retail locations in Abuja raised the price of the critical commodity from ₦897 to ₦1,030, similar to the situation elsewhere.

The new rise follows the NNPCL’s hike on September 2, 2024. The retail company raised the petrol price per litre from ₦568 to ₦855, causing anger.

Though the NNPCL has not issued an official announcement regarding the recent hike in petrol prices, it hinted at another price increase when it began loading its first batch of petrol from the Dangote Refinery in mid-September.