Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reminded President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening hunger and poverty despite claims of reforms.
Atiku gave the reminder via a statement issued on Monday through his media office.
He decried the rising hardship across the country, warning that the situation is pushing citizens toward criminality, insecurity, and social unrest.
“The masses of Nigerians are progressively wallowing in misery and poverty under the watch of the Tinubu-led APC administration,” he said.
According to him, the current economic conditions mirror the kind of deprivation that has historically sparked revolutions across the world. He recalled the French Revolution, the 1917 Russian Revolution, and the Arab Spring, arguing that hunger and unbearable frustration were central to those revolts.
“Back home here in Nigeria, it may not be out of place to argue that even the ‘ENDSARS’ protest was fuelled by the traumatising frustration of hunger and insensitivity on the part of the government,” Atiku stated.
Two years into the Tinubu administration, Atiku said, there are still “no manifest signs” that the government is capable of tackling hunger and poverty. He maintained that reforms must have a human face and prioritise the welfare of citizens.
“Whatever reform the Tinubu government might claim to be undertaking, the point remains that food insecurity is a daily occurrence nationwide. There is no government worth its salt that does not place priority on the welfare and security of the people,” he said.
He further stressed: “Whether the present powers accept it or not, the reality of our existence is that the poor are increasingly dying of hunger while the majority of the living poor exists at the mercy of the ill-advised policies of this government.”
Since assuming office in 2023, President Tinubu has introduced major economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira. These measures, however, have faced heavy criticism for worsening living conditions nationwide.
