Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the country’s worsening economic situation as “organised hardship dressed up as reform.”
Reacting to a recent warning by the International Monetary Fund on Nigeria’s economic outlook, Atiku said the report only confirmed the harsh realities Nigerians already face daily, including rising food prices, transport costs, and worsening living conditions.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of being disconnected from the suffering of ordinary citizens despite promises of “renewed hope.”
He lamented the rising cost of living, worsening poverty, insecurity affecting farmers, and the collapse of small businesses due to high electricity tariffs, taxes, and an unfavourable business environment.
The former vice president also raised concerns over Nigeria’s growing debt burden, warning that the country was borrowing heavily without visible improvements in citizens’ welfare.
He urged the federal government to abandon what he called “trial-and-error economics” and adopt urgent measures to stabilise prices, support small businesses, reduce transport costs, and protect vulnerable Nigerians.
