Nigerians now budget for ransom like school fees — Atiku slams Tinubu govt

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as an attempt to justify Nigeria’s growing debt burden despite worsening economic hardship and insecurity across the country.

Mr Atiku, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused the Presidency of being disconnected from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was reacting to recent comments by the Presidency comparing Nigeria’s debt profile favourably with those of other African countries.

According to Mr Atiku, no responsible government measures success by the amount of debt accumulated, but by the living conditions of its citizens.

He said the Tinubu administration had reduced governance to “a public relations exercise” while millions of Nigerians struggle with hunger, inflation, insecurity and economic uncertainty.

“It is both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford one meal a day, when parents are withdrawing children from school because of crushing hardship, when businesses are collapsing under unbearable electricity tariffs and inflation, and when entire communities are being overrun by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, the Presidency is celebrating debt figures as though indebtedness itself were an economic achievement,” the statement read.

The former vice president noted that borrowing could only be justified when tied to productive investments capable of improving infrastructure, boosting agriculture, strengthening security and stimulating economic growth.

However, he argued that despite increasing debt levels and painful economic reforms, Nigerians were worse off under the current administration.

Mr Atiku said insecurity had severely affected agricultural activities, alleging that many farmers could no longer safely access their farmlands due to attacks by armed groups.

According to him, the situation had contributed to rising food prices, hunger and growing frustration among citizens.

He further lamented the worsening security situation, saying kidnappings and violent attacks had become so rampant that many Nigerians now “budget for ransom payments the same way they budget for school fees or rent.”

“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. Villages are sacked almost routinely while those in power appear more concerned about image management than decisive action,” he said.

Mr Atiku also accused the administration of relying on propaganda to divert attention from what he termed policy failures and economic mismanagement.

He maintained that countries that borrow responsibly use such funds to improve productivity, create jobs and develop critical infrastructure, adding that Nigerians had not seen corresponding improvements in their living conditions despite the nation’s rising debt profile.

The Waziri Adamawa recalled that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he served as vice president, implemented economic reforms that led to Nigeria’s exit from the Paris Club debt burden.

He argued that the current administration inherited a manageable economy but had plunged the country into “deeper debt, deeper poverty, deeper insecurity, and deeper despair.”

Mr Atiku urged the Federal Government to abandon what he described as propaganda and focus on addressing the country’s economic and security challenges with “sincerity, competence, urgency and compassion.”

He added that Nigerians were more concerned about affordable food, safety, survival of businesses and access to farmlands than government statistics comparing Nigeria with other African countries.