Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has lamented the worsening insecurity across Nigeria, saying many families now budget for ransom payments the same way they plan for school fees.
The former Vice President accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to address insecurity and economic hardship despite increasing the country’s debt profile.
Atiku made the remarks in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, and posted on X on Wednesday.
According to him, the current security situation has forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands, thereby worsening food shortages and hunger across the country.
“Across the country, farmers can no longer safely access their farmlands because vast territories have effectively fallen under the control of armed gangs and terrorists.
“Food production has declined sharply because rural communities now live under constant threat of attacks, abductions, and killings,” he said.
The ADC candidate added that the development had contributed to rising food prices, hunger and frustration among Nigerians.
“The inevitable result is what Nigerians are currently witnessing — astronomical food prices, widespread hunger, malnutrition, and rising anger among citizens abandoned by their own government,” he added.
Speaking further, Atiku said travelling by road in many parts of the country had become dangerous, while kidnappings and attacks on communities continue unabated.
“In many parts of Nigeria today, travelling by road has become a gamble with death. Families go to bed praying not to receive midnight calls announcing the abduction of loved ones.
“Villages are sacked almost routinely, while those in power appear more concerned about image management than decisive action,” he stated.
The former Vice President also criticised the Federal Government over what he described as reckless borrowing without corresponding improvement in the lives of citizens.
“It is both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford one meal a day, when parents are withdrawing children from school because of crushing hardship, and when businesses are collapsing under inflation and unbearable electricity tariffs, the Presidency is celebrating debt figures as though indebtedness itself were an economic achievement,” he said.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians were more concerned about their daily survival than government statistics.
“Nigerians do not care about statistical gymnastics from government spokespersons. They care about whether food is affordable, whether their children are safe, whether businesses can survive, whether farmers can return to their lands, and whether the future still holds any promise,” he added.
