Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing it of attempting to glorify reckless borrowing while millions of Nigerians continue to grapple with worsening poverty, hunger, insecurity, and economic hardship.
Reacting to comments from the Presidency suggesting that Nigeria’s debt profile remains lower than that of some African nations, Atiku described the comparison as insensitive and disconnected from the realities facing ordinary citizens.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President argued that responsible governance should not be measured by the size of a nation’s debt relative to others, but by the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens.
According to him, Nigerians are more concerned about access to food, security, stable businesses, and hope for the future than government statistics aimed at defending mounting debts.
Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of turning governance into a “public relations exercise,” where citizens battling severe hardship are repeatedly confronted with economic figures that fail to reflect their daily struggles.
“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 their 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 maintained that borrowing itself is not necessarily harmful if funds are channelled into productive sectors capable of improving infrastructure, boosting agriculture, enhancing security, and stimulating economic growth.
However, he lamented that under the current administration, increased borrowing has coincided with worsening insecurity, soaring food prices, declining purchasing power, and growing hopelessness among Nigerians.
He further stated that many farmers are now unable to access their farmlands due to attacks by armed groups, resulting in declining food production and worsening hunger across the country.
“The inevitable result is what Nigerians are currently witnessing — astronomical food prices, widespread hunger, malnutrition, and growing anger among citizens abandoned by their own government,” Atiku said.
The former presidential candidate also criticised government officials for defending the country’s rising debt profile despite worsening insecurity nationwide.
“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 routinely sacked while those in power appear more concerned about image management than decisive action,” he stated.
Atiku questioned the benefits Nigerians have derived from the increasing loans obtained by the government, insisting that citizens have seen little improvement in their living conditions despite painful economic reforms and rising debt levels.
He also accused the administration of relying heavily on propaganda to divert attention from what he described as poor economic management.
According to him, countries that borrow responsibly do so to create jobs, expand productivity, and improve citizens’ welfare, unlike Nigeria where citizens allegedly see no connection between rising debt and improved living standards.
The Waziri Adamawa recalled that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he served as Vice President, implemented economic reforms that helped Nigeria secure relief from Paris Club debt and restore investor confidence.
He described it as tragic that the current government inherited what he called a manageable economy but had allegedly plunged the nation deeper into debt, poverty, insecurity, and despair within a short period.
Atiku warned that growing frustration among Nigerians could no longer be hidden through media narratives, stressing that citizens are more interested in affordable food, security, functioning businesses, and a better future than comparisons with other African countries.
He urged the Tinubu administration to abandon propaganda and address the nation’s economic and security challenges with sincerity, urgency, competence, and compassion before the situation deteriorates further.