Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, calling out his administration for propaganda and deception.
According to a statement by Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President declared that the era of political complacency, propaganda, and governance by deception is drawing to a close. Atiku stated that the era of excuses is ending and the era of accountability is approaching.
The era of propaganda is fading, and with the support of Nigerians, a new chapter of competence, prosperity, security, and genuine hope shall begin, Atiku said. Atiku fired directly at the president as his administration marks its third anniversary in office.
The most fitting report card of the Tinubu years isn't the glossy advertisements, expensive media campaigns, or self-congratulatory speeches emanating from Abuja – it's the tears of hungry families, the despair of unemployed youths, the collapse of businesses, and the haunting images of schoolchildren being abducted by criminals while a complacent government looks the other way.
According to Atiku, while every government is entitled to its own opinions, no government is entitled to its own facts. Three years ago, President Tinubu promised renewed hope, but what Nigerians have received instead is renewed hardship, renewed insecurity, renewed poverty, and renewed hopelessness, Atiku said.
Food prices have skyrocketed beyond the reach of ordinary families, inflation has become a cruel tax on the poor, small and medium-scale businesses are shutting their doors, the naira has been battered, and purchasing power has collapsed, Atiku said. He also pointed out that the administration's reckless borrowing without accountability has caused significant concerns.
Public reports indicate that while the Federal Government borrowed approximately N11.9 trillion within a nine-month period, only N3.1 trillion was reportedly spent on capital projects. Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: where did the rest of the money go? Atiku asked.
Atiku raised concerns about the concentration of infrastructure contracts, noting that a substantial portion of publicly highlighted spending appears directed at the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto Highway, both reportedly awarded to a company owned by a businessman whom President Tinubu publicly described as his 'partner in daring'.
This administration has created the disturbing perception that while ordinary Nigerians are being asked to endure sacrifice, the benefits of government spending are increasingly flowing towards a privileged circle of politically connected interests, Atiku said.