Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over the worsening economic hardship in the country, describing the hunger and poverty ravaging millions of Nigerians as unacceptable.
Atiku, in a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, yesterday in Abuja, faulted the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration for failing to prioritise the welfare and security of citizens.
He warned that the deepening hardship could trigger unrest, stressing that hunger and hopelessness were at the root of violent uprisings across the world.
“At a time when the primary responsibility of any government should be the security and welfare of its citizens, Nigerians are wallowing in misery and poverty,” the former Vice President said.
He linked the present situation to the growing wave of criminalities across the country, ranging from kidnapping, terrorism and fraud to drug abuse and ritual killings.
Drawing parallels from history, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain recalled how the French and Russian revolutions, as well as the Arab Spring, were sparked by frustration over hunger and economic hardship.
He added that Nigeria’s 2020 #EndSARS protest also reflected public anger fuelled by government insensitivity.
Atiku lamented that despite being in office for over two years, the Tinubu administration had shown no clear capacity to confront the scourge of hunger.
“Whatever reform the government claims to be undertaking, the fact remains that food insecurity has become a daily reality nationwide. There is no government worth its salt that does not place priority on the welfare and security of the people,” he said.
He urged the administration to give its policies a human face, warning that poor Nigerians were dying daily from hunger while the rest were left at the mercy of “ill-advised policies.”
