Atiku Abubakar Criticizes President Tinubu’s Speech as Inadequate Amid Protests

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Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent speech to the #EndBadGovernance protesters, calling it hollow and insufficient in addressing the suffering of Nigerians.

As economic hardships worsen, many Nigerians struggle to afford basic necessities. Youth-led protests began on Thursday and have continued through Saturday in cities such as Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, and others, demanding an end to hunger and poor governance.

In his Sunday broadcast, President Tinubu urged protesters to cease their demonstrations. He justified his decisions to remove the fuel subsidy and unify the foreign exchange systems as necessary to prevent exploitation by smugglers and rent-seekers and to stop unjust subsidies benefiting neighboring countries at Nigeria's expense. Tinubu emphasized that these measures were crucial to reversing decades of economic mismanagement.

Atiku, however, pointed out in a statement on Sunday that Tinubu’s speech failed to address the severe economic challenges Nigerian families have faced since the start of his administration.

“This address lacks credibility and fails to offer any immediate, tangible solutions to the Nigerian people,” Atiku said. “Given the extensive publicity surrounding the protests and the threats issued by government officials against demonstrators, one would have expected President Tinubu to present groundbreaking reforms, particularly those aimed at reducing the exorbitant costs of governance.”

Atiku criticized Tinubu for ignoring protesters' demands, such as suspending the purchase of aircraft for the President, downsizing his cabinet, and eliminating the costly office of the First Lady. He described Tinubu's speech as superficial and out of touch with the needs of Nigerians.

“We urge 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,” Atiku added. He highlighted the premature leak of Tinubu's speech, which allowed Nigerians to read along in real-time, as evidence of the diminishing confidence in the administration.