Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed the Tinubu administration over what he described as “reckless borrowing and propaganda,” saying Nigerians have now been forced to budget for ransom payments the same way they budget for school fees and rent due to worsening insecurity across the country.
Reacting to recent comments by the Presidency comparing Nigeria’s debt profile with those of other African nations, Atiku said the Federal Government was disconnected from the harsh realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said no responsible government measures economic success by the volume of debt it acquires but by the welfare and security of its citizens.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has reduced governance to mere public relations while millions of Nigerians battle hunger, poverty, inflation and insecurity.
“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,” he said.
Atiku noted that borrowing itself was not wrong if channelled into productive investments capable of improving infrastructure, boosting agriculture, strengthening security and stimulating economic growth.
He, however, lamented that despite massive borrowing under the current administration, insecurity and economic hardship had worsened.
“Across the country, farmers can no longer safely access their farmlands because vast territories have effectively fallen under the control of armed gangs and terrorists. Food production has declined sharply because rural communities now live under constant threat of attacks, abductions and killings,” he stated.
The former Vice President said it was shameful that insecurity had deteriorated to the point where Nigerians now set aside money for possible ransom payments.
“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 added.
Atiku further accused the administration of using propaganda to divert attention from what he termed catastrophic economic mismanagement.
“No nation becomes prosperous by borrowing to finance consumption, sustain wasteful government lifestyles and paper over policy failures. Countries that borrow responsibly do so to expand productivity, create jobs, secure critical infrastructure and improve the welfare of their citizens,” he said.
The Waziri Adamawa recalled that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he served as Vice President, implemented difficult reforms that eventually freed Nigeria from the burden of Paris Club debt and restored international confidence in the economy.
He warned that no amount of media spin could hide the growing frustration among Nigerians, stressing that citizens were more concerned about affordable food, safety and economic survival than government statistics.
Atiku urged the Tinubu administration to abandon propaganda and urgently address the nation’s economic and security challenges with sincerity and competence before the situation deteriorates further.
