Fuel price: Tinubu’s N70,000 minimum wage can only buy 50 litres of petrol – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has highlighted the dire economic situation in Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. In a statement, Atiku asserted that the N70,000 minimum wage currently available to workers can only purchase 50 litres of petrol at the current rate of N1,400 per litre.

This revelation was made known through a spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu. Atiku's criticism centers around the sharp rise in the cost of living without any commensurate increase in workers' wages. He pointed out that when the minimum wage was N30,000, it could buy about 118 litres of petrol, whereas now, the same wage only buys half that amount.

Atiku also noted that Nigerian workers earn less than their counterparts in other oil-producing African nations such as Libya, Algeria, and Benin. He asked, "What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?" Atiku criticized the Tinubu administration for proposing a N70,000 minimum wage that has failed to meet the needs of workers, suggesting an upward review of the wage.

The Tinubu administration, on the other hand, maintains that the current minimum wage cannot adequately support workers despite the proposal of some civil servants for a N500,000 minimum wage or even a higher price for petrol of N500 per litre.