ADC Questions Timing, Funding Of FG’s $1bn Social Protection Programme

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government’s $1 billion social protection programme, describing it as a belated response to the hardship caused by President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.

The party said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier warned that the reforms would worsen the cost of living if not accompanied by measures to protect Nigerians.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Nigerians had endured rising food, transport and energy costs for three years before the government introduced the intervention as the 2027 elections approach.

The party questioned the timing, funding and accountability of the programme unveiled by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Abdullahi said Atiku’s proposal for a targeted production subsidy to reduce the cost of living had been rejected by the administration, only for the government to later announce a $1 billion intervention to cushion Nigerians from economic hardship.

“This is precisely what our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has been saying in proposing a targeted production subsidy to bring down the cost of living,” he said.

The ADC also demanded an account of more than N600 billion it said had been distributed as cash transfers to slightly more than 10 million households over the past three years.

It called for evidence of the beneficiaries and measurable outcomes of the spending, while also questioning the reliability of the social register used for the interventions.

The party further raised concerns over the proposed N40,000 ‘shock-response payment’, warning that it could be used as a form of vote buying ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“A government whose so-called reform has destroyed purchasing power through higher food, fuel, transport and energy costs, cannot now return with a one-off N40,000 per family, which it cynically tagged ‘shock-response payment’,” the party said.

The ADC also questioned the constitutional and administrative basis for the First Lady’s role in unveiling a Federal Government programme involving $1 billion.

It demanded to know who approved the funds, the budget head under which they were provided and the government institution responsible for accounting for the money.

“Where does the First Lady fit in within the official organogram of government?” the party asked.

While expressing support for genuine efforts to protect vulnerable Nigerians, the ADC said palliatives could not replace policies aimed at restoring purchasing power, boosting production and improving the dignity of citizens.

“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,” the party said.