Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over worsening insecurity and economic hardship in the country.
In a statement issued through his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the presidency of being disconnected from the daily struggles faced by Nigerians amid rising debt and growing insecurity.
“It is both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford one meal a day, the presidency is celebrating debt figures as though indebtedness were an achievement,” he said.
According to the former vice president, travelling across many parts of the country has become increasingly dangerous due to kidnappings and attacks by armed groups.
“In many parts of Nigeria today, travelling by road has become a gamble with death. Families go to bed praying not to receive midnight calls announcing the abduction of loved ones,” he stated.
Atiku further lamented that “ransom payments have become as routine as school fees and house rent in many homes.”
He also blamed insecurity for the decline in farming activities, noting that many farmers can no longer access their farmlands, a development he said has contributed to food shortages, rising prices and worsening hardship across the country.
While acknowledging that borrowing is not entirely negative when properly managed, Atiku argued that Nigeria’s growing debt profile has failed to improve the living conditions of citizens.
He accused the Federal Government of prioritising propaganda over practical solutions to the nation’s economic and security challenges.
