African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies contributed to the death of his mother, saying rising medicine costs made it difficult to afford her treatment.
Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and transportation minister, made the allegation Friday during an interview on Channels Television.
His mother, Mary Amaechi, died in July.
Amaechi said she had been healthy before Tinubu became president in 2023 but that the rising cost of medication later made it harder for him to provide the drugs she needed.
“Tinubu’s policies killed my mother.
"Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy.
"After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother,” he said.
He also questioned the effect of the administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy, saying Nigerians had not seen enough benefits from the money saved by the policy.
“Where are those funds saved from the removal of subsidy?
"The purpose of subsidy removal is to better the lives of citizens.
"But where is the money?
"I want to feel it.
"Everybody wants to feel it,” Amaechi said.
The former governor said the rising cost of medicines was affecting many families and linked the situation to Nigeria’s reliance on imported pharmaceutical products.
He said, “There are so many persons whose parents have died who themselves are about to die,” while citing a figure he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics on drug imports.
Tinubu, however, continues to defend his economic reforms, saying they are necessary to correct structural problems and that the government’s focus was now shifting toward lowering living costs and delivering broader prosperity.
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