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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Tinubu’s policies, accusing them of worsening the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement from his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that instead of targeting opposition figures, Tinubu should focus on governing effectively to ease the hardships faced by millions across the country.
Atiku’s comments on Monday were a direct response to a recent statement from the Presidency, which accused him of criticizing Tinubu out of jealousy. However, Atiku insisted his concerns are solely about the well-being of Nigerians, not personal rivalry.
Atiku cited Tinubu’s unfulfilled promise from July 2024 to temporarily remove import duties on essential goods. According to Atiku, nearly 120 days have passed, yet the government has not implemented this relief measure. This delay, he said, has contributed to record-high inflation, with food prices skyrocketing over 40% in recent months, marking one of the worst inflationary periods in Nigeria’s recent history.
He said, “On July 8, 2024, Tinubu announced that import duty on essential goods like food would be lifted for 150 days.
“But over 120 days later, the policy is yet to take off, while Nigerians continue to die daily due to increasing costs, including food inflation, which now exceeds 40%, the highest in decades.
“The brazen disobedience to a government policy by Tinubu’s appointees and the failure of the finance ministry to issue a gazette after over four months reflects the fatuousness, inanity and the incompetence that characterizes the Tinubu administration.
“Sadly, rather than focus on governance, they are preoccupied with verbally assaulting their opponents – Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi – while using compromised courts to foster crisis in the opposition. What a shame!”
Atiku accused Tinubu’s appointees of disregarding government orders, and he criticized the finance ministry for failing to enact policies promptly. “This administration is marked by poor coordination and incompetence,” he said. “Rather than addressing these issues, the government is busy attacking opposition leaders, including myself and Peter Obi.”
The former Vice President also condemned what he described as inconsistency in Tinubu’s economic policies.
Since taking office, Atiku argued, Tinubu has taken actions without carefully assessing the consequences, leading to confusion and hardship for citizens. He highlighted the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy, which led to a surge in transportation costs and inflation without adequate alternative solutions in place.
Atiku also criticized Tinubu’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, aimed at reducing fuel prices. The program, he said, has barely taken off due to limited gas infrastructure across Nigeria. “Even Tinubu and his ministers have not adopted CNG for their own transport,” Atiku said. “This policy has done nothing to curb the rising cost of transportation.”
Atiku further pointed out Tinubu’s unrealistic projections for the naira’s value, claiming that the administration has misled the public about the country’s foreign reserves. He challenged the government to release the Central Bank’s 2023 financial statements to provide transparency.