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The anger behind the growing criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration may be easy for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to dismiss as opposition politics. Political analysts, however, warn that doing so could be a costly mistake.
At the heart of the frustration is a moment that has come to define Tinubu’s presidency.
On May 29, 2023, barely minutes into his inauguration speech, the new president declared: “Fuel subsidy is gone.”
The announcement immediately changed the economic landscape.
For years, successive governments had discussed removing petrol subsidy, with arguments ranging from its huge cost to allegations of corruption and inefficiency. But what caught many Nigerians off guard was the abrupt manner in which the policy was implemented and the speed at which its consequences spread across the economy.
Petrol prices surged.
Transport fares climbed.
Food prices followed.
Businesses faced higher operating costs, while household incomes struggled to keep pace.
For millions of Nigerians, the reform quickly became less about economic theory and more about daily survival.
The Political Cost of Economic Reform
Political analysts say the central challenge facing the Tinubu administration is not necessarily convincing Nigerians that subsidy reform was needed. Rather, it is convincing them that the hardship created by the reform has been fairly shared and that meaningful benefits are reaching ordinary citizens.
A reform can be economically necessary and still be politically painful.
It can also be correctly conceived but poorly sequenced.
That distinction matters as the APC prepares for another electoral battle.
For many Nigerians, cheap petrol was not merely a government policy. It was one of the few economic benefits they could directly feel in their everyday lives. Once that cushion disappeared, the resulting increase in transportation, food and production costs became impossible to ignore.
This explains why repeated assurances that subsidy removal was unavoidable have not completely calmed public anger.
People are asking a more personal question: If we were told to make sacrifices, when will we begin to feel the reward?
“Where Is Our Dividend?”
The government can point to increased revenue, higher allocations to states, infrastructure projects and other economic reforms.
But political analysts say statistics alone may not settle the argument at the grassroots.
The average Nigerian is more likely to measure government performance through the price of food, the cost of transportation, electricity bills, school expenses, rent and the amount left in their pocket at the end of the month.
That is where the APC faces its biggest political challenge.
Nigerians may acknowledge that the subsidy regime was unsustainable, but they still want to know whether its removal has translated into a better quality of life.
Where is the cheaper transportation?
Where is the stronger purchasing power?
Where is the relief for struggling families?
And when will the promised economic gains become visible in ordinary homes?
These questions could become increasingly important as the next election approaches.
Beyond Political Abuse
Political disagreement, analysts argue, should remain within the boundaries of democratic debate. Anger over economic hardship should not be transformed into curses, religious condemnations or attacks on citizens simply because they support a different political party.
But dismissing the frustration itself would be equally dangerous.
The anger is not necessarily coming from one political camp. It reflects the experience of Nigerians who have watched the cost of living rise while their earnings struggle to catch up.
For the APC, therefore, the issue goes beyond defending the decision to remove subsidy.
The bigger task is demonstrating that the sacrifices demanded from Nigerians were not in vain.
Because at the end of the day, political parties can explain policies, governments can release figures and economists can defend reforms.
But voters make their own calculations.
And the question increasingly confronting the Tinubu administration is a simple one:
Nigerians were asked to sacrifice. What, exactly, did that sacrifice buy them?
That answer may prove far more important at the ballot box than any political argument.
Source:@ADCVanguard_
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