Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent speech addressing the ongoing nationwide protests against his administration, calling it empty, dull, and disrespectful to the demonstrators seeking to draw attention to poor economic policies.
Atiku, who was Tinubu’s rival in the 2023 presidential election, stated through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, that the President’s address failed to address the hardships faced by Nigerians. “President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast this morning, intended to quell the fervour of public protests against his administration’s poor governance, utterly misses the mark,” Atiku said. He highlighted that the speech “neglects the pressing economic hardships that have besieged Nigerian families since the very beginning of his tenure.”
Atiku emphasized that the address lacked credibility and failed to offer any immediate, tangible solutions to the Nigerian people. He expected the President to present groundbreaking reforms to reduce the exorbitant costs of governance, given the extensive publicity surrounding the protests and threats from government officials against demonstrators.
“Unfortunately, no such announcements were made,” Atiku remarked. “The President ignored the protesters’ demands, such as suspending the purchase of aircraft for the President, downsizing his bloated cabinet, or eliminating the costly office of the First Lady, who has been indulging in extravagant trips at the nation’s expense.”
In his recorded speech, President Tinubu provided a superficial account of his so-called reforms, failing to convince his audience. “While the President has spoken, it is unfortunate that his words lack substance and respect for the protesters’ sentiments, leaving Nigerians with little faith in his reform agenda – if one exists at all,” Atiku stated.
Atiku urged the President and his team to “own up to their failures over the past 14 months and abandon the absurd theory that the protests are orchestrated by the opposition.” He argued that the economic crisis is solely the result of the Tinubu administration’s trial-and-error policies and stressed the need for the administration to stop the blame game and face the reality of their failures.
He also criticized the administration for failing to keep the presidential speech confidential, pointing out that the premature leak of the speech illustrated the media and public’s dwindling confidence in the government.
