The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, saying Nigerians cannot eat economic growth figures while millions continue to struggle with rising living costs.
Atiku, in his Independence Day address on Thursday, said the past three years of the Tinubu administration had plunged Nigerians into what he described as the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis, with families struggling to afford food, healthcare, transportation, and other basic necessities.
Tinubu, while addressing Nigerians to commemorate the 2026 Independence Anniversary on Thursday, said that after three and a half years in office, there was undeniable evidence that Nigeria’s economic outlook had improved.
He said, “Our economy has grown by over four percent this year. Both the oil and non-oil sectors have contributed to this renewed period of stable growth.
“My fellow Nigerians, we have reached a turning point. The emergency treatment is over. The foundation has been repaired. The central economic task before us has changed. For three years, our overriding purpose was to correct our nation’s course.
“Now, our purpose is simple: shared and widespread prosperity.”
Reacting, ADC presidential candidate challenged the president’s claim that Nigeria had entered an age of prosperity, asking where the prosperity was when Nigerians could barely afford to survive.
Atiku also faulted the government’s handling of fuel subsidy removal, taxation, and other economic reforms, arguing that their impact had further increased the burden on households and businesses.
The former vice president stated, “And beyond the market, our nation is bleeding. Armed groups have killed thousands and driven families from their communities. Farmers fear their fields. Parents fear for children in their classrooms. Families dread the call demanding ransom for someone they love.
“A government that cannot make life affordable and cannot protect life has failed the two tests that matter most to its people.
“This is not the Nigeria our founders struggled to set free. But I will not ask you to surrender to despair. Despair is not a strategy. We have a path to recovery, and we must take it.
“Bola, where is this prosperity? Bola says inflation has fallen. A slower rise in prices does not restore what families have lost. He cites growth and rising exports. Nigerian businesses deserve credit for what they have achieved. But growth must improve lives. It cannot be a certificate of success that the government awards itself while citizens struggle to survive.
“Bola, you call Nigeria a patient with cancer. After three years of your treatment, why is it harder for Nigerians to buy food, pay for medicine, or even get to work? Why does your government have more money while the people can afford less?”
Atiku said Nigerians could not be expected to endure prolonged hardship simply because the government described its economic policies as a cure for the country’s problems.
