Nigerians Selling Their Kidneys to Survive Under Tinubu — Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of worsening the economic pressure on Nigerians.

According to him, the situation has become so severe that some young people are reportedly considering selling their kidneys to survive.

Atiku raised the concern in a post on his X handle on Friday.

The former vice president described the alleged development as one of the most disturbing consequences of the country’s rising cost of living.

He said young Nigerians should be using their energy and talents to build businesses, develop new ideas and pursue their ambitions.

Instead, he expressed concern that some were reportedly being pushed into desperate decisions because of financial hardship.

“I have heard disturbing stories about the extent to which young Nigerians are being driven simply to survive. Perhaps the most horrifying are the growing reports of young people selling parts of their bodies: kidneys in particular, in desperate attempts to raise money,” Atiku said.

“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs.”

Atiku linked the alleged kidney sales to the increasing cost of basic necessities across the country.

He listed food, transportation, accommodation, education, medicine and electricity among the major expenses putting pressure on households.

According to him, the situation has made it increasingly difficult for many Nigerians to maintain a decent standard of living.

The former vice president also referred to reports that some young Nigerians were allegedly willing to sell a kidney for as little as N1.7 million.

He argued that the reported amount showed how financial desperation could push vulnerable people towards decisions that could have serious consequences for their health and future.

“That should break the heart of a nation,” Atiku said.

He further warned that young people should not be forced to look at their body organs as a source of emergency income.

Atiku said the focus of young Nigerians should be on education, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation.

“Young Nigerians should be building careers, starting businesses, raising families, and pursuing their dreams, not calculating how many parts of their bodies can fetch simply to stay alive.”

The former vice president said the issue should not be treated as an ordinary consequence of economic difficulty.

He argued that when people begin to consider selling an organ to meet basic financial obligations, it points to a deeper social and economic problem.

“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening.”

He said poverty and desperation could create opportunities for criminal networks to target people who are struggling to survive.

“Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and organ trafficking. But laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks,” he said.

In a related development, the Nigeria Police Force recently announced the arrest of four suspects over an alleged illegal organ-harvesting operation in Nasarawa State.

The police said the suspects were arrested during a sting operation conducted in August in the Auta Balifi area of Karu Local Government Area.

The case has added to concerns about the vulnerability of Nigerians who may be targeted by individuals involved in illegal organ-related activities.

However, reports of people voluntarily selling organs because of economic hardship remain difficult to independently establish in individual cases.

Atiku’s claim about kidneys allegedly being sold for N1.7 million was also not attributed to a specific government agency or official report in his statement.

He criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and argued that policies should be measured not only by economic figures but also by their effect on ordinary citizens.

“No government should celebrate ‘reforms’ while young Nigerians are being reduced to selling parts of themselves to eat, pay rent, settle school fees or survive,” Atiku said.

He called for an approach that would reduce the pressure on households and make essential services more affordable.

“Economic reform must have a human face. It must mean affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent jobs and renewed hope for the next generation,” he said.

Atiku said Nigeria’s young population remains an important part of the country’s future and should be given opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the economy.

He argued that young Nigerians possess the creativity and skills needed to build businesses, create jobs and compete internationally.

“Our young people should be selling their ideas, talents and innovation to the world and not their kidneys for ₦1.7 million just to survive at home.”

He described the alleged kidney-selling reports as a reflection of what he called the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.

Atiku, who is now the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, has repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration over the impact of its economic policies on Nigerians.

He ended his latest intervention with a direct political message to the president.

“This is the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis

“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again. -AA.”