A Chieftain of All Progressives Congress figure in Cross River State has to defend President Bola Tinubu against mounting criticism over rising fuel prices, arguing that global forces not government policy are the primary driver of the surge at the pump.
Soni Abang, who also serves as Executive Director of the South-South Development Commission, made the case at a mega endorsement rally held at the Ikom Township Stadium on Saturday, drawing thousands of party supporters.
Pointing to ongoing geopolitical tensions and volatility in global crude oil markets, he insisted it was both unfair and misleading to lay the burden of rising petroleum costs at Tinubu’s feet.
“Is Tinubu the one who started the crisis in Iran?” he asked the crowd. “These are global issues affecting economies around the world. Even at that, fuel prices in Nigeria remain relatively competitive.”
Abang acknowledged that the administration inherited a fragile economy but framed the government’s subsequent moves including the removal of the fuel subsidy as necessary, if painful, medicine.
“The President has now embarked on reforms aimed at stabilising the fiscal outlook of our country,” he said, urging Nigerians to view short-term hardship as the price of long-term economic recovery.
On food prices another flashpoint for public frustration Abang was similarly upbeat, insisting the situation is already improving.
“Food prices are coming down daily,” he said, attributing the earlier spike to deliberate manipulation by opposition elements seeking to stoke public panic rather than any genuine policy failure.
The APC chieftain also pointed to ongoing infrastructure development, including major road construction projects across the country, as concrete evidence of the administration’s commitment to delivering results.
He called on Nigerians to remain patient, expressing confidence that the reforms underway would soon produce tangible benefits.
The rally also served as a platform to formally endorse both President Tinubu and Cross River State Governor Senator Bassey Otu ahead of future electoral contests.
