Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the economic hardship facing Nigerians, arguing that the government can no longer demand further sacrifices from citizens.
Atiku said the government had removed key relief measures, particularly the fuel subsidy, without providing sufficient social support or delivering the improvements Nigerians were promised in return.
He made the remarks in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
The ADC presidential candidate also linked the current crisis in Nigeria’s public universities to what he described as the failure of the government to translate subsidy savings into meaningful investment in education.
His comments followed renewed concerns by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over unresolved issues, including alleged unpaid salaries and outstanding agreements, with the union again threatening industrial action.
Atiku argued that the situation had exposed what he described as a contradiction in the Federal Government’s economic policy.
He said Nigerians had been asked to endure the consequences of subsidy removal on the understanding that the resources saved would be redirected to areas capable of improving their welfare.
According to him, that expectation has not been met, particularly in the education sector.
“A government that takes away relief from citizens, does not offer real social support, and doesn’t fulfil the basic promises it made has lost the right to talk about asking people to sacrifice,” Atiku said.
He said households were struggling with rising food prices, transportation costs and energy bills while incomes had failed to keep pace with the increased cost of living.
Rather than receiving meaningful assistance, Atiku claimed that Nigerians had largely been left to cope with the consequences of the government’s economic decisions on their own.
The former vice president described the situation in the university system as particularly difficult to justify.
He argued that while the government removed the “cushion” provided by fuel subsidies and collected the resulting savings, citizens were yet to see corresponding improvements in critical sectors such as education and healthcare.
“That is what makes the present university crisis indefensible. The government removed the cushion, collected the supposed savings and imposed the hardship, but Nigerians cannot see the corresponding improvement in their schools, hospitals or everyday lives,” he said.
Atiku further criticised the continued challenges facing university lecturers, noting that ASUU was again threatening industrial action several years after the subsidy was removed.
“More than three years later, lecturers are still raising concerns about unpaid salaries and unresolved agreements. ASUU is again warning of industrial action,” he said.
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He also questioned the state of infrastructure in Nigerian universities, pointing to inadequate facilities and the pressure created by the large number of young Nigerians seeking admission into tertiary institutions each year.
“University infrastructure remains inadequate, while millions of young Nigerians compete every year for limited admission spaces. So where is the money?” Atiku asked.
The ADC candidate’s comments add to his growing criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the government’s handling of the social consequences that followed.