{
  "id": 5035682,
  "title": "Cost of living: Don’t mistake election-season relief for recovery, Atiku tells Nigerians",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/cost-of-living-dont-mistake-election-season-relief-for-recovery-atiku",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T05:10:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/cost-of-living-dont-mistake-election-season-relief-for-recovery-atiku-tells-nigerians/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned Nigerians against interpreting any temporary respite from the cost of living as genuine economic recovery. Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, cautioned that the President Bola Tinubu administration is only responding to hardship in anticipation of the 2027 elections. Shaibu pointed out the contradiction in the president's condemnation of Atiku's proposal to reduce energy costs, which he deemed a return to the past, while simultaneously promising cheaper transportation, increased food production, and relief for vulnerable Nigerians. Shaibu highlighted that for over three years, Nigerians have suffered from high transport fares, soaring food prices, crippling energy costs, and wages that buy less every month. He questioned why the government took more than three years to acknowledge that economic growth must benefit the \"dining table and the pocket.\" Shaibu criticized the government for implementing backward interventions when Atiku suggests them but progressive ones when the government announces them. He also criticized the exorbitant cost of petrol in Nigeria, noting that as a major oil producer, the country should have lower energy costs for its citizens. Shaibu cited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, and Angola as examples of oil-producing nations where petrol prices are lower than Nigeria's. He suggested that Nigerians are receiving a temporary dose of political anaesthesia as the 2027 elections approach.",
  "summary": "Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians not to mistake any temporary relief from the cost of living for genuine economic recovery, accusing the President Bola Tinubu administration of responding to hardship only as the 2027 elections approach. In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said it […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}