Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his decision to spend three weeks in Europe amid what he described as worsening economic hardship and insecurity across Nigeria.
Atiku said Nigeria might not currently be experiencing a constitutional vacuum, but the country was facing what he called a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
In a statement, the former Vice President acknowledged that he had travelled, lived and spent considerable time abroad, stressing that he had never denied doing so. However, he argued that there was a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibilities attached to occupying the office of President.
According to Atiku, the situation facing Nigerians requires the President’s attention at home rather than an extended trip abroad.
He pointed to the rising cost of petrol, food and transportation as evidence of the hardship confronting millions of Nigerians. He said many families were being forced to ration food, while transportation costs had made ordinary journeys increasingly unaffordable.
Atiku also cited persistent insecurity, saying Nigerians continued to lose their lives week after week while the country grappled with a range of security challenges.
Against this backdrop, he questioned the decision by President Tinubu to embark on a three-week trip to Europe.
The former Vice President noted that Vice President Kashim Shettima was also outside the country on official duties, arguing that the President’s absence was therefore particularly difficult to understand.
Atiku maintained that leadership was not simply about possessing the constitutional authority to occupy an office, but also about exercising the judgment to recognise when the country requires the leader’s physical presence.
He illustrated his argument with a family analogy, saying that while a father could travel when everything was going well, he would not leave home when his family and property were in serious danger.
“That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher,” Atiku said.
He argued that millions of Nigerians were being overwhelmed by economic hardship while the President continued to travel.
According to him, the contrast between the difficulties confronting ordinary citizens and the President’s foreign trips raised questions about the government’s sensitivity to the plight of the people.
Atiku further argued that a government that failed to appreciate the consequences of the policies it implemented would struggle to develop the political will required to address the problems facing the country.
He criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, saying they had made Nigeria increasingly expensive for ordinary citizens.
The former Vice President also used the statement to draw a contrast between the current administration and his own political aspirations, declaring: “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”
His remarks come amid continued political debate over the country’s economic situation, the cost of living, insecurity and the effectiveness of the Tinubu administration’s response to the challenges facing Nigerians.
