‘Nigeria Needs Solutions, Not Explanations for Suffering’ — Atiku Slams Tinubu Govt

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as attempts to shift responsibility for Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and economic hardship to the media and ordinary citizens.

Atiku was reacting to comments by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who accused sections of the Nigerian media of portraying the country as being overwhelmed by insecurity.

Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga argued that media reports often exaggerate security challenges across the country.

“The problem is that the media in Nigeria are even creating the problem. The way they’re reporting security is as if the entire country is consumed,” he said.

While acknowledging that kidnappings and attacks remain a concern, Onanuga noted that many incidents occur at night despite repeated warnings from security agencies against travelling after dark.

“Any time I read about either kidnapping or an attack somewhere, sometimes I look at the time. I say, wow, it happened at 8 p.m., it happened at 9 p.m., sometimes 1 a.m. A long time ago, the police told people to stop travelling at night,” he said.

Responding in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned the implication of the presidency’s position.

“Is the presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day? Is this an official declaration that Africa’s largest economy has been reduced to an eight-hour economy where citizens must shut down their businesses, abandon legitimate travel, and retreat indoors once the sun sets?” he asked.

The former vice-president insisted that the responsibility of protecting lives and property rests with the government and security agencies, not citizens carrying out lawful activities.

“The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. Citizens do not surrender their freedoms in exchange for curfews imposed by fear,” he said.

According to Atiku, insecurity across the country cannot be dismissed as media exaggeration, as Nigerians experience the consequences daily.

“A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them. The blame belongs squarely where it should — on those charged with securing the country,” he stated.

He further warned against normalising insecurity by encouraging citizens to restrict their movements after certain hours, saying such a mindset could negatively affect economic growth and productivity.

“A nation cannot prosper when its people are told that safety ends at sunset. Economies grow because people can move freely, trade freely, and conduct lawful activities without fear,” Atiku said.

On the economy, the former Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate accused the Tinubu administration of being disconnected from the realities facing Nigerians.

He said rising food prices, inflation, unemployment and declining purchasing power had worsened hardship across the country.

“The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship,” he said.

Atiku also criticised attempts by the presidency to blame the media for reporting insecurity and economic difficulties.

“Blaming journalists for reporting insecurity and hardship is like blaming a thermometer for a fever,” he said.

He stressed that Nigerians were more concerned about solutions than explanations.

“Nigeria does not need explanations for suffering. Nigeria needs solutions. Nigeria does not need lectures about perception. Nigeria needs results,” Atiku said.