By Uzair Adam
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lamented the worsening insecurity and economic hardship in the country, saying ransom payments have become as common in many Nigerian homes as rent and school fees.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu for celebrating Nigeria’s debt profile while citizens continue to battle hunger, insecurity and rising living costs.
The former vice president was reacting to recent remarks by the Presidency defending the country’s borrowing level in comparison with other African nations.
According to him, the government’s position showed a disconnect from the realities faced daily by ordinary Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
Atiku said insecurity had made travelling by road dangerous in many parts of the country, while families now live in fear of kidnappings and attacks.
“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.
He also linked the country’s worsening food crisis to insecurity, noting that many farmers had abandoned their farmlands because of attacks by armed groups.
“Food production has declined sharply because rural communities now live under constant threat of attacks, abductions and killings. The inevitable result is what Nigerians are currently witnessing — astronomical food prices, widespread hunger and rising anger among citizens,” Atiku added.
The Waziri Adamawa maintained that borrowing is not necessarily wrong if funds are invested in projects capable of improving infrastructure, boosting productivity and creating jobs.
However, he argued that Nigerians had seen little improvement in their living conditions despite the government’s increasing debt profile.
He accused the administration of focusing on propaganda rather than addressing the country’s economic and security challenges.
Atiku further recalled that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he served as vice president, implemented reforms that helped Nigeria exit the Paris Club debt burden and restore international confidence in the economy.
“Nigerians do not care about statistical gymnastics from government spokespersons. They care about whether food is affordable, whether their children are safe, whether businesses can survive and whether the future still holds any promise,” he said.
He urged the Tinubu administration to confront the country’s challenges with sincerity, urgency and compassion before the situation worsens further.
