Chuks Okocha and Linus Aleke in Abuja
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has declared that the era of political complacency, propaganda, and governance by deception is drawing to a close, stating that Nigerians have seen enough and are preparing to reclaim their country through the power of the ballot.
Also, the coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has called on the federal government to urgently fulfil its constitutional obligation to protect lives and property across the country amid worsening insecurity and rising incidents of violence.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said that as President Bola Tinubu administration marks three years in office, its most fitting report card is not the glossy advertisements, expensive media campaigns, or self-congratulatory speeches emanating from Abuja, but the tears of hungry families, the despair of unemployed youths, the collapse of businesses, and the haunting images of schoolchildren being abducted by criminals while a complacent government looks the other way.
According to Atiku, every government is entitled to its own opinions, but no government is entitled to its own facts.
“The facts are stubborn and unforgiving. Three years ago, President Tinubu promised renewed hope. What Nigerians have received instead is renewed hardship, renewed insecurity, renewed poverty, and renewed hopelessness.
“Today, millions of Nigerians can no longer afford the basic necessities of life. Food prices have skyrocketed beyond the reach of ordinary families. Inflation has become a cruel tax on the poor. Small and medium-scale businesses are shutting their doors. Investors are fleeing uncertainty. The naira has been battered. Purchasing power has collapsed.
“Never in recent history have so many Nigerians worked so hard only to become poorer. Never has a government celebrated itself so loudly while its citizens suffered so deeply.
“While Nigerians endure the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, this administration continues to manufacture statistics, stage elaborate ceremonies, and engage in endless public relations exercises designed to create the illusion of progress where none exists.
“What makes this failure even more scandalous is the reckless borrowing that has accompanied it. This administration has borrowed trillions of naira in the name of infrastructure and economic development, yet Nigerians cannot see corresponding improvements in their daily lives.
“Public reports indicate that while the federal government borrowed approximately N11.9 trillion within a nine-month period, only N3.1 trillion was reportedly spent on capital projects. Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: where did the rest of the money go?
“Even more troubling is that a substantial portion of the infrastructure spending that has been publicly highlighted appears concentrated on projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto Highway, both awarded to a company owned by a businessman whom President Tinubu publicly described as his ‘partner in daring.’
“This administration has created the disturbing perception that while ordinary Nigerians are being asked to endure sacrifice, the benefits of government spending are increasingly flowing towards a privileged circle of politically connected interests.
“A government that borrows trillions but cannot transparently account for the impact of those borrowings on the lives of its citizens has no business celebrating itself. Nigerians are not interested in debt accumulation. They are interested in results.”
Atiku said perhaps the most damning indictment of the Tinubu administration’s three-year record is the resurgence of mass abductions and the growing sense that the Nigerian state is steadily losing its monopoly over security.
“While government officials celebrate themselves and distribute scorecards, terrorists and criminal gangs are distributing fear across the country.
“The recent abduction of schoolchildren in Borno State and the mass kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State are not isolated incidents. They are the most accurate report card of this administration after three years in office.
“What greater evidence of failure can there be than parents sending their children to school only to receive news that they have been abducted? What greater symbol of governmental failure exists than classrooms becoming hunting grounds for criminals?
“Three years into this administration, Nigerian children are still being dragged into forests by terrorists and kidnappers. Three years into this administration, communities remain vulnerable. Three years into this administration, citizens continue to pay the price for a government that appears more concerned with managing headlines than securing lives.
“The tragedy of Borno and Oyo is not merely a security failure. It is the inevitable consequence of a government that has become detached from reality and addicted to propaganda.
“When governments become consumed by self-praise, they stop listening. When they stop listening, they stop learning. And when they stop learning, they begin to fail.”
Atiku said the Tinubu administration has spent three years asking Nigerians to ignore their lived experiences and instead believe carefully curated narratives from government spokespersons.
“They tell Nigerians the economy is improving, yet families skip meals. They tell Nigerians insecurity is declining, yet communities live in fear. They tell Nigerians prosperity is around the corner, yet businesses continue to collapse under unbearable pressure.
“No amount of propaganda can fill an empty stomach. No amount of spin can erase insecurity. No amount of government advertising can hide the suffering that millions experience every day.
“The true measure of governance is not what government says about itself. It is what citizens experience in their daily lives.”
The former Vice President warned that history is filled with governments that mistook the patience of the people for permanent acceptance.
“There is a difference between patience and satisfaction. There is a difference between endurance and approval.
“Nigerians have endured extraordinary hardship because they are resilient people. But resilience should never be mistaken for weakness. Patience should never be mistaken for surrender.
“The signs are everywhere. Across the country, Nigerians are asking hard questions. They are demanding accountability. They are refusing to be distracted by slogans and political theatre.
“They understand that a government that cannot guarantee security, create opportunities, stabilize the economy, or protect the dignity of its citizens has no moral basis for asking to be rewarded with another term.”
Atiku stressed that democracy provides Nigerians with a peaceful and constitutional instrument for change.
“The ballot box remains the most powerful weapon in the hands of the people. It is stronger than propaganda. It is stronger than intimidation. It is stronger than incumbency.
“Those who believe that Nigerians will forget the hunger, insecurity, joblessness, and economic pain of the last three years are engaged in dangerous self-deception.
“Power belongs to the people. It does not belong to political parties. It does not belong to incumbents. It does not belong to governments. It belongs to Nigerians, and Nigerians reserve the right to reclaim it whenever they believe their trust has been betrayed.”
He urged citizens not to lose faith in democracy but to channel their frustrations into peaceful political action.
“Our responsibility is not merely to complain. Our responsibility is to organize, mobilize, participate, and vote.
“The future of Nigeria will not be determined by those who shout the loudest. It will be determined by those who show up, stand up, and vote for change.
“Let no one be deceived. The era of complacency is over. The era of propaganda is ending. The era of taking Nigerians for granted is coming to a close.
“The people are awake. The people are watching. And when the time comes, they will deliver their verdict through the ballot.”
The former Vice President said that while exposing the failures of the Tinubu administration is necessary, Nigerians deserve more than a catalogue of broken promises and missed opportunities; they deserve a credible alternative and a practical roadmap for national recovery.
“In the coming weeks, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will unveil a comprehensive policy blueprint that is the product of rigorous research, extensive consultations, and a painstaking review of the economic, security, institutional, and governance failures that have defined the APC administration and culminated in the present national crisis.
“This policy document will not merely diagnose the problems that have plunged millions of Nigerians into hardship; it will present bold, realistic, and actionable solutions. It will offer a clear pathway to economic recovery, job creation, security sector reform, fiscal discipline, educational revival, healthcare expansion, and the restoration of confidence in public institutions.
“Nigerians have heard enough excuses. They have listened to enough promises. They have endured enough suffering. What they seek now is leadership that is competent, compassionate, accountable, and genuinely committed to the public good.
“As the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, I make a solemn pledge to Nigerians that our campaign will be driven by ideas, not insults; by solutions, not slogans; and by competence, not propaganda.
“By the grace of Almighty God and with the mandate of the Nigerian people, the next administration under my leadership will assemble some of the finest minds, most accomplished professionals, and most experienced technocrats from across our nation. We will restore merit to governance, recruit competence into public service, and ensure that every major decision is guided by expertise, patriotism, and the national interest.
“The task ahead is daunting. The economic damage is severe. Public trust has been eroded. National cohesion has been strained. But Nigeria is greater than the failures of any government.
“We will rebuild our economy, restore security, strengthen our institutions, create opportunities for our young people, and return government to its primary purpose: serving the people.
“The era of excuses is ending. The era of accountability is approaching. The era of propaganda is fading. And with the support of Nigerians, a new chapter of competence, prosperity, security, and genuine hope shall begin.”
Atiku reaffirmed his confidence in the Nigerian people and expressed optimism that the country can still be rescued through competent leadership, accountable governance, economic justice, and a renewed commitment to national security and unity.
Also harping on bad governance and hardship faced by Nigerians, the coalition of Civil Society Organisations expressed deep concern over the increasing wave of killings, abductions, and violent attacks nationwide, urging the authorities to take decisive and sustained measures to safeguard citizens and restore public confidence in the country’s security architecture.
In a statement jointly signed by Global Rights, BudgIT, CLEEN Foundation, Centre LSD, Amnesty International, and 90 other CSOs, the groups lamented that Nigerians continue to die in alarming numbers while perpetrators of these crimes operate with increasing boldness and impunity.
According to the statement, the persistence of the atrocities reflects deeper governance failures and a dangerous erosion of the value placed on human life.
Citing data from massatrocities.org, the CSOs stated that since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, at least 19,980 people have been killed, while no fewer than 12,362 others have been abducted in incidents of mass atrocities and violent attacks across Nigeria.
The groups further noted that security personnel have also continued to bear the brunt of the violence, with at least 1,486 officers reportedly killed in active service across the country under President Tinubu’s administration as Commander-in-Chief.
According to them, the figures do not include casualties arising from other criminal activities such as armed robbery, adding that the recurring violence continues to violate citizens’ rights to life and dignity as guaranteed under Sections 33 and 34 of the 1999 Constitution.
The coalition therefore urged the federal government to urgently: “Fulfill its constitutional obligation under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution by taking transparent, measurable, and effective steps to protect lives and property across the country. Investigate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocities, terrorism, mass abductions, communal killings, and conflict-related crimes while ensuring accountability for abuses committed during security operations.
“Strengthen civilian protection through improved intelligence gathering, early warning systems, rapid response mechanisms, and greater accountability within security operations. Disrupt kidnapping and ransom economies by tracing financial flows linked to abductions, extortion networks, and organised violent groups.
“Strengthen protection for schools, farming communities, women, children, and other vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by insecurity. And provide adequate humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, compensation, and psychosocial support for internally displaced persons, survivors, and communities affected by persistent violence.”
Reaffirming their commitment to continue amplifying the voices of victims and demanding accountability from those entrusted with governance, the CSOs stressed that Nigeria cannot continue to gather annually to mourn the dead while failing daily to protect the living.
The groups added, “As we commemorate this year’s National Day of Mourning, we stand in solidarity with grieving families, abductees, survivors living with trauma, internally displaced persons, the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors struggling to survive, devastated communities, and security personnel killed in the line of duty. We insist that these tragedies must not be reduced to just numbers. Their stories must not disappear into silence.”
