Nigerians are already dying under Tinubu — Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, over its reported reliance on the potential danger to lives as a reason for withholding records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Mr Atiku said Nigerians could not be expected to accept a blanket invocation of “danger to lives” to prevent the disclosure of information that could legitimately be made public.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the argument would be “laughable” if not for what he described as the tragic realities facing Nigerians.

“The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives. Which lives? Nigerians are already dying,” Atiku said.

He alleged that since Tinubu assumed office, the administration’s economic policies had worsened the conditions of ordinary Nigerians, leaving many struggling to afford food, healthcare and other basic necessities.

“In the past three and a half years since Tinubu became Nigeria’s President, he has pursued economic policies that have made his government a threat to the daily survival of ordinary Nigerians,” he said.

Atiku alleged that many Nigerians had been killed by terrorists and bandits, while others had died as a result of hunger, inability to afford medical treatment and the economic pressure associated with providing for their families.

“Families that once managed three meals now struggle for one. Parents cannot afford medicines for sick children. Breadwinners are buckling under debt and unbearable economic pressure,” he said.

He attributed part of the hardship to the removal of fuel subsidy, describing the policy as “senseless” and alleging that it was implemented without a credible plan to protect vulnerable Nigerians.

According to him, the consequences of rising fuel and transportation costs have spread across the economy, affecting food prices, production, employment and household incomes.

“Danger to life is therefore not a legal abstraction to Nigerians. It is a daily reality in our homes, hospitals, farms, highways and communities,” Atiku said.

He reiterated his position that fuel subsidy would be restored under his proposed administration, insisting that the policy would be targeted, transparently financed, capped and independently audited.

“I will not apologise for choosing the survival of Nigerians over economic dogma,” he said, adding that safeguards would be introduced to prevent corruption, diversion and what he described as criminal arbitrage.

Atiku also criticised Tinubu’s repeated assertion that fuel subsidy is no longer in place, asking what Nigerians had gained from the policy change.

“So when Tinubu boasts that subsidy is gone, Nigerians should ask him what exactly he is celebrating: the empty cooking pots, abandoned medical prescriptions, unaffordable transport fares or businesses struggling to survive?” he asked.

He said his proposed administration would measure economic performance by improvements in the living conditions of Nigerians rather than their ability to withstand hardship.

Turning specifically to the FBI, Atiku said he was not demanding the disclosure of information that could compromise undercover agents, confidential sources or sensitive investigative techniques.

“Protect your agents. Protect your sources. Protect legitimate investigative methods. Redact whatever American law genuinely requires you to redact,” he said.

However, he urged the US agency not to extend such protections to information that could lawfully be disclosed and was relevant to legitimate public interest.

“Our demand of American law enforcement is not a call to interfere in Nigeria’s politics. It is a humanitarian and democratic appeal rooted in the principle that people have a right to information legitimately available about those who exercise enormous power over their lives,” he said.

Atiku argued that Nigerians had a democratic right to know the history and character of the person occupying the country’s highest office, particularly where relevant information was held by foreign law-enforcement authorities and could legally be released.

“If information can lawfully be released without endangering investigators, confidential sources or legitimate law-enforcement operations, release it,” he said.

He maintained that Nigerians were not asking the United States to interfere in the country’s democratic process, but were urging American authorities to ensure that secrecy provisions did not unnecessarily prevent legitimate public scrutiny.

“Nigerians are not asking America to conduct our democracy for us. We are saying that American secrecy laws must not inadvertently become a sanctuary from accountability in Nigeria,” Atiku said.

He concluded with a direct appeal to the FBI: “Protect your investigators. Protect your sources. Protect your methods. But do not protect the truth from Nigerians.

“Our people are already paying for bad governance with their lives.”