{
  "id": 3762761,
  "title": "‘This is cruelty’ – ADC criticises FG’s $1bn social protection programme",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/this-is-cruelty-adc-criticises-fgs-1bn-social-protection-programme",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T15:28:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/08/27/this-is-cruelty-adc-criticises-fgs-1bn-social-protection-programme/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has harshly criticized the Federal Government's newly introduced $1 billion social protection programme, claiming it to be a belated response to the economic hardships Nigerians have endured under President Bola Tinubu's administration. The opposition party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated in a statement that the Nigeria has been grappling with escalating expenses on food, transportation, and energy for the past three years. In response to the government's latest intervention, the ADC questioned the programme's funding, management, and monitoring processes.\n\nThe ADC's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had previously advocated for targeted production subsidies to alleviate the cost of living, but the government rejected the proposal. Abdullahi emphasized that this highlights the inconsistency between Atiku's suggestion and the government's approach. The ADC also demanded a detailed explanation on how the nearly N600 billion spent on cash transfers to over 10 million households in the last three years has been utilized, including the beneficiaries and the impact of these payments.\n\nMoreover, the opposition party raised doubts about the accuracy of the social register used for the programme and expressed concerns over the proposed N40,000 \"shock-response payment.\" The ADC argued that this payment, cynically labeled as a \"shock-response payment,\" could be leveraged to manipulate voters in the lead-up to the 2027 elections. Additionally, the party questioned the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, whose constitutional and administrative authority it doubts, to unveil a Federal Government programme amounting to $1 billion. Despite acknowledging the need for support for vulnerable Nigerians, the ADC emphasized that short-term relief measures cannot substitute for policies aimed at boosting purchasing power, promoting production, and restoring citizens' dignity. The ADC concluded their statement by stating, \"If the Tinubu administration has suddenly discovered that Nigerians need protection from the cost of its failed reforms, then perhaps the first thing it should do is admit that Atiku was right: reform without relief is not courage; it is cruelty.\"",
  "summary": "The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government’s $1 billion social protection programme, describing it as a late response to the hardship Nigerians have faced under President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms. The party said Nigerians had struggled with rising food, transport and energy costs for three years, while the government was now introducing […] ‘This is cruelty’…",
  "key_points": [
    "ADC criticizes $1bn Nigerian social protection programme as cruel",
    "Questions funding, management, and monitoring processes of programme",
    "Demands explanation on N600bn spent on cash transfers to households"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}