Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has debunked the claim he is envious of President Bola Tinubu, adding that the former Lagos State governor is not prepared for the rigours of his current position.
Atiku questioned how he could possibly envy a leader whose policies, he said, are causing suffering for the Nigerian people.
In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Monday, Atiku dismissed the presidency’s comments as “inelegant and insipid.” He accused Tinubu of focusing more on attacking the opposition than addressing the economic hardships facing Nigerians.
Atiku highlighted the failed implementation of a key policy announced by Tinubu on July 8, 2024, which sought to lift import duties on essential goods like food for 150 days. Despite the policy’s announcement, it has yet to take effect, leaving Nigerians to endure rising food inflation, now exceeding 40%.
Atiku criticised the government’s lack of action and described it as a clear reflection of the incompetence and inefficiency characterizing the Tinubu administration.
The statement said, “On July 8, 2024, Tinubu announced that import duty on essential goods, like food, would be lifted for 150 days. But over 120 days later, the policy is yet to take off, while Nigerians continue to die daily due to increasing costs, including food inflation, which now exceeds 40 per cent, the highest in decades.
“The brazen disobedience to a government policy by Tinubu’s appointees and the failure of the finance ministry to issue a gazette after over four months reflects the fatuousness, inanity, and incompetence that characterises the Tinubu administration.
“Sadly, rather than focus on governance, they are preoccupied with verbally assaulting their opponents – Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi – while using compromised courts to foster crisis in the opposition. What a shame!”
The former vice president also pointed to what he described as a series of policy missteps by the current administration. Atiku argued that Tinubu’s handling of the economy, especially his abrupt removal of the fuel subsidy and his failure to implement alternative measures like the Compressed Natural Gas initiative, had exacerbated the country’s economic crisis.
Atiku expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the country, particularly the emergence of a new terror group, Lakurawa. He said that, instead of focusing on governance, the President has been preoccupied with political maneuvering, including appointing his people to key security and economic positions.
Atiku also condemned Tinubu’s decision to commit over $13 billion to the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, which has led to the displacement of many residents in Lagos.
Atiku advised Tinubu to focus on improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians, especially as his time in office is quickly running out.
He added, “Tinubu was unprepared for office. He acts first and thinks of the consequences afterward. This was why he announced an abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy without any cushions.
“After seeing the effect, he then hurriedly decided to push a CNG initiative, which even he and his ministers have not embraced, hence their refusal to use it.
“The CNG initiative has so far failed to fully kick off because of a lack of gas infrastructure in most states. The result is that transport costs continue to soar along with prices of food.
“In his mid-term expenditure framework, he projected the exchange rate at N700/$1 in 2024 and N650/$1 by 2025. Rather than sack his economic advisers, he continues to live in a fool’s paradise, deceiving Nigerians about the FX reserve of $40 billion, when, in fact, the net reserves are less than 20 per cent of that. Let the CBN release its financial statements of 2023 if he is sure of his achievements.”
He stated, “On the economy, he put his kinsmen in every key position beginning from finance minister, trade and investment, CBN, customs and FIRS. Even President Muhammadu Buhari was not this brazen. Unlike Tinubu, Atiku is not a bigot.”
The statement added, “It is ludicrous to claim that Atiku is jealous of Tinubu. Hell no, Atiku cannot be jealous of Tinubu inflicting pain on Nigerians. Wickedness is an exclusive preserve of Tinubu and no compassionate leader, who truly cares about the wellbeing of Nigerians, should be jealous of what is an exclusive preserve of T-Pain.
“It is disheartening that during the last protests, some frustrated young Nigerians were waving Russian flags and calling on the military to take over. God forbid we return to those dark days, but leaders must not push their citizens to a point where citizens choose fire over frying pan.
“Nigeria is currently the worst performing currency in Africa and is now the fifth largest economy on the continent, falling from first, when the failure called APC took over in 2015. Most Nigerians are at their wits’ end, not knowing where their next meal will come from. This should be Tinubu’s biggest concern instead of fiddling while the country burns.”
