A reference to President Bola Tinubu simply as “Bola” has drawn a sharp response from presidential aide Sunday Dare after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called on the president to reduce the cost of petrol and ease the pressure on Nigerians.
Atiku made the call during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, urging Tinubu to use the remaining months of his administration to take measures that would bring relief to households, workers and businesses.
The former vice president said the president should not reject a policy proposal simply because it came from a political opponent. He even offered Tinubu the option of renaming the proposal and taking credit for it if that would help bring down petrol prices.
“Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention,” Atiku said.
“He should just take the idea, rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less,” he said.
It was the repeated use of “Bola” that particularly drew Dare’s attention.
In his response on Saturday, the Special Adviser to Tinubu on Media and Public Communication accused Atiku of showing disrespect to the president while attempting to dictate how the government should operate.
“Alhaji Atiku’s manner of addressing President Bola Tinubu as Bola is the height of insolence. It is a clear descent into the abyss of unbridled desperation and an unravelling mind,” Dare said.
He further faulted Atiku for what he described as giving instructions to a sitting president and setting a timeline for how the government should implement policies.
Dare also challenged Atiku’s criticism of government intervention, describing his call for intervention in petrol pricing as inconsistent with his position on economic management.
“Atiku’s sudden conversion to the gospel of interventionism rings hollow,” the presidential aide said, accusing the former vice president of using economic difficulties facing Nigerians for political purposes.
The disagreement comes against the backdrop of continuing debate over petrol prices and the wider cost of living. Atiku has argued that the impact of higher energy costs extends beyond filling stations to transportation, food, production and household purchasing power.
The former vice president has also criticised reliance on palliatives, arguing that temporary assistance should not replace policies aimed at addressing the underlying causes of rising living costs.
Dare, however, defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and maintained that the government was working to address structural problems in the economy.
The exchange has added another layer to the political differences between the two camps, with the debate now covering not only petrol prices and economic policy but also how a former vice president chose to address the sitting president.
