‘While You Rest In Europe, Nigerians Die’ – Atiku Tackles Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the worsening cost-of-living crisis, saying Nigerians can no longer afford basic necessities.

Atiku stated this on Tuesday in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to Tinubu’s recent statement on the economy.

He said Tinubu devoted a substantial part of his statement, released on X, to attacking his economic position without mentioning him by name.

“Tinubu, the issue is not Atiku. The issue is that Nigerians can no longer afford to live,” Atiku said.

He said his focus was on Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of food, transportation, education, healthcare and other basic necessities.

Atiku said in an oil-producing country like Nigeria, petrol should not become a luxury product, adding that the success of economic policies should be measured by their impact on ordinary citizens.

“Atiku has more important people to engage directly: the mother struggling to feed her children; the civil servant whose salary disappears into transportation; the farmer paying more to move produce to market; the student being pushed into debt simply to remain in school; and millions of Nigerians whose daily reality bears no resemblance to the prosperity advertised in your tweets,” he said.

He also questioned the timing of the Federal Government’s recent promise to provide cheaper transportation, increase food production and introduce relief measures for vulnerable Nigerians.

According to him, Nigerians have endured high transport fares, rising food prices, expensive energy and declining purchasing power for more than three years.

“Why did Nigerians have to suffer for more than three years before your government discovered that economic growth must reach ‘the dining table and the pocket’?” he asked.

Atiku accused the administration of inconsistency, saying policies aimed at reducing the cost of living were criticised when proposed by him but were being embraced by the government.

“You cannot condemn cheaper living when Atiku proposes it and rename the same objective Renewed Hope when you promise it. That is not economic consistency. It is political convenience,” he said.

He also criticised the current petrol price, comparing Nigeria’s roughly N1,400 per litre with prices in other oil-producing countries.

Atiku cited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Angola and the United Arab Emirates, where he said petrol sells at lower prices.

“How did your celebrated reform leave Nigerians paying vastly more for fuel while enjoying a lower standard of human development?” he asked.

“That is not merely a pump-price debate. It is an affordability scandal.”

He said high petrol prices affect transportation, agriculture, food distribution, manufacturing and household expenses, noting that the cost is passed through various stages of the supply chain before goods reach consumers.

Atiku said his proposed Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP) would seek to reduce costs at source rather than allow prices to rise before government intervention through palliatives.

He said the plan would support Nigerian crude supplied for domestic refining under a capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited framework.

“The economics is straightforward. Reduce fuel costs and you reduce pressure on transportation. Reduce transportation costs and you reduce the cost of moving tomatoes, rice, yam, livestock and manufactured goods,” he said.

“Reduce those costs and more of a worker’s income remains available for food, rent, education and healthcare. That is structural relief.”

Atiku also criticised Tinubu’s reference to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that student loans should not be presented as evidence that education has become affordable.

“Celebrating NELFUND as proof that education has become affordable under your government is like setting school fees on fire and then boasting that you lent students a bucket of water,” he said.

“A student loan is not a scholarship. It is a liability.”

He said his approach would focus on reducing the underlying cost of education and providing forgiveness for qualifying student debts.

“Education should open doors, not mortgage the future,” Atiku said.

The ADC presidential candidate also challenged the Federal Government to publish details supporting its claim that his proposed intervention could affect NELFUND, workers’ salaries or the minimum wage.

“If your government has the arithmetic, Bola, publish it. Show Nigerians, line by line, how a transparently budgeted subsidy tied to Nigerian crude and domestic refining suddenly empties NELFUND or workers’ pay packets,” he said.

Atiku also questioned the impact of petrol subsidy removal, saying the Federal Government had stated that the policy mobilised about N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.

“Nigerians surrendered cheap fuel. They paid more for transportation. They paid more for food. They watched the value of their wages collapse,” he said.

He demanded explanations on what measurable improvements Nigerians received in return for the sacrifices associated with the policy.

Atiku also called for a comprehensive reconciliation of nearly N30 trillion identified across Federation Account revenues, deductions, savings, transfers and related entries.

He further demanded transparency over Import Duty Exemption Certificate approvals covering about N34 trillion worth of imports in 2025.

“So when you suddenly announce that relief is coming ‘in the next few weeks,’ Nigerians are entitled to ask: Why now?” he said.

Atiku accused the administration of offering what he described as “a temporary dose of political anaesthesia” as the 2027 elections approach.

He also criticised Tinubu over his stay in Europe, saying Nigerians were facing severe economic hardship while the president was away.

“While you rest in Europe, millions of Nigerian parents lie awake at night, staring at empty cupboards and wondering how they will face their children in the morning. That is the reality on our streets,” Atiku said.

He said he would continue to engage Nigerians on policies aimed at reducing the cost of living.

“Atiku wants to offer Nigerians more than empty figures. He has a plan that respects the dignity and protects the survival of the Nigerian people,” he said.