Atiku Criticises Tinubu Government, Says Ransom Now Part Of Nigerians’ Household Budgets

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised alarm over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, declaring that ransom payments have now become a regular item in household budgets. He accused the Bola Tinubu administration of celebrating debt statistics while Nigerians struggle with hunger, fear, and collapsing livelihoods.

Atiku’s statement, released through his aide Phrank Shaibu, came in response to recent claims from the Presidency that Nigeria’s debt levels compare favourably with other African nations. He described the comparison as detached from reality, arguing that ordinary citizens are more concerned about survival than abstract figures.

According to Atiku, families across Nigeria now live under constant threat of kidnappers and bandits. He painted a grim picture of communities where road travel is a gamble, villages are attacked with disturbing frequency, and parents dread late-night calls announcing the abduction of loved ones. “It is insulting that while Nigerians are withdrawing children from school and skipping meals, the Presidency is busy celebrating debt numbers as if borrowing itself were an achievement,” he said.

The former vice president linked the insecurity crisis directly to Nigeria’s food shortages. He noted that farmers have been driven off their lands by armed gangs, leaving vast territories under the control of terrorists. This, he argued, has crippled food production, triggered soaring prices, and worsened malnutrition. “The inevitable result is what Nigerians are witnessing today — astronomical food prices, hunger, and rising anger among citizens abandoned by their government,” he added.

Atiku acknowledged that borrowing can be useful when tied to productive investments such as infrastructure and job creation. However, he insisted that under Tinubu, borrowing has only deepened poverty and insecurity. He accused the government of financing consumption and wasteful lifestyles instead of investing in projects that improve citizens’ welfare. “No nation prospers by borrowing to sustain policy failures. Nigerians see no link between the rising debt profile and any improvement in their daily lives,” he said.

He also accused the administration of relying on propaganda to distract citizens from economic mismanagement. Recalling his time in government with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku highlighted reforms that freed Nigeria from Paris Club debt and restored international confidence. He contrasted that with the current situation, where debt has ballooned without tangible benefits.

“It is tragic that a government which inherited a struggling but manageable economy has plunged the nation into deeper debt, deeper poverty, and deeper insecurity within such a short period,” Atiku said. He dismissed the Presidency’s debt comparisons as “statistical gymnastics” irrelevant to ordinary Nigerians.

For Atiku, the real questions are whether food is affordable, whether children are safe, whether businesses can survive, and whether farmers can return to their lands. He argued that under Tinubu, the answers are increasingly bleak. “Nigerians do not care about debt ratios. They care about survival, and sadly, the future looks more uncertain by the day,” he concluded.

Atiku urged the government to abandon propaganda and confront Nigeria’s harsh realities with sincerity and competence. He called for urgent action to restore security, revive food production, and ease economic hardship before the country slips further into instability.

His remarks reflect growing frustration among Nigerians who face daily threats from kidnappers and bandits while struggling with inflation and unemployment. The image of ransom payments becoming part of household budgets underscores the depth of the crisis. For many families, survival now means setting aside money not only for school fees and rent but also for the possibility of paying kidnappers to free loved ones.

Atiku’s intervention adds to mounting pressure on the Tinubu administration to deliver concrete solutions. With insecurity spreading and economic hardship worsening, the government faces a critical test of leadership. For Nigerians, the demand is clear: less propaganda, more action, and a genuine commitment to restoring hope in a country where despair has become the norm.