Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described President Bola Tinubu as ‘T-Pain’ over the hike in pump price of petrol.

Although T-Pain is the stage name of an American artiste, social media critics have used it to describe Tinubu over the cost of living crisis.

On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) raised the pump price of fuel from N897 per litre to N1, 030 in Abuja; from N855 to N998 in Lagos; N1, 070 in North-East; N1,025 in other South-West states; N1,045 in South-East and N1,075 in South-South.

This had triggered reactions among Nigerians who asked Tinubu to work towards reversing the increment.

Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had asked if increasing pump price is what the Tinubu administration lives for.

Weighing in on the conversation on Thursday, Atiku who was up against Tinubu in last year’s election, took to X, formerly Twitter, blamed the current economic crisis on haphazard and disingenuous approach of Tinubu to subsidy removal.

“The haphazard and disingenuous approach of the current administration to fuel subsidy management has been the reason we are in this current economic crisis in the country.

“As things stand, there will be no let up in the escalating inflation rate, which is drowning the material well-being of Nigerians. It is even more worrying that T-pain is undisturbed by the hardship in the country.”

Upon his return from an overseas trip last month, Tinubu had visited Maiduguri, Borno State capital, to condole with the people over devastating flood.

However, a social media user threw a jibe at the president describing him as ‘T-Pain’.

Tweeting via @SadiqGSadiq, the social media user wrote, “T-Pain has landed in Maiduguri with his new 150bn jet to promise the flood victims bags of rice."