Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to address Nigeria’s deepening hunger crisis, warning that the situation could spark dangerous social unrest.
Speaking through his media aide, Paul Ibe, on Monday, Atiku lamented that over two years into the Tinubu administration, there is still no clear strategy to combat poverty and food insecurity. He described the level of hardship facing millions of Nigerians, particularly the poor and vulnerable, as “unacceptable.”
“Whatever reforms this government claims to be implementing, the reality is that food insecurity has become a daily ordeal for households across the nation,” Atiku said. “No government worth its salt ignores the welfare and security of its people.”
The former Vice President cautioned that hunger and unbearable living conditions have historically fueled violent uprisings worldwide, citing the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the Arab Spring as examples.
He recalled how a young man’s self-immolation in Tunisia triggered mass protests across the Middle East and North Africa, stressing that Nigeria too has witnessed similar frustrations, such as the #EndSARS movement.
According to Atiku, the APC-led government has failed in its fundamental responsibility to secure the welfare of its citizens, leaving millions trapped in “poverty and misery.” He warned that the worsening hardship is driving spikes in crime, terrorism, kidnapping, fraud, drug abuse, and ritual killings.
Atiku emphasized that reforms must serve the people, not harm them, and urged Tinubu’s administration to review its policies with compassion.
“Whether those in power accept it or not, the truth is that the poor are dying of hunger while the rest survive at the mercy of wrong-headed government policies,” he concluded.
