The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, accusing the government of offering Nigerians “empty rhetoric and statistics” in the face of deepening poverty, hunger, and insecurity.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, dismissed Tinubu’s October 1 speech as disconnected from the lived realities of ordinary Nigerians.
“Citizens cannot eat statistics or sleep on PowerPoint slides,” Shaibu said.
“True progress is not about GDP figures, but about whether people can feed their families, send their children to school, access quality healthcare, and sleep without fear.”
President Tinubu, in his national broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, had said the country’s most difficult economic phase was behind it. He pointed to a GDP growth rate of 4.23 per cent in Q2 2025 — the fastest in four years — and a drop in inflation to 20.12 per cent, attributing these outcomes to “sound monetary and fiscal policies” and urging Nigerians to remain patient.
But Shaibu sharply countered that such claims ring hollow to millions facing escalating food prices, unaffordable transport, and deteriorating living standards.
“Food prices are higher than rooftops, transport has swallowed incomes, and many families now eat less than one meal a day. If these are the seeds of reform, then the fruit is still bitter,” he said.
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Shaibu also rubbished the President’s references to improvements in education and healthcare since independence.
“He cited the multiplication of schools since 1960. Yet in many places, pupils still sit on bare floors and write in dust. He boasted of more hospitals, but patients still carry candles, syringes, and drugs into wards before treatment can begin,” he said.
On security, Shaibu pointed to persistent kidnappings and violent crimes as evidence that government assurances are failing to translate into actual safety for citizens. He cited the recent death of Arise TV anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu during a robbery in Abuja as one of many grim reminders.
“A farmer cannot boast the bush is cleared while weeds still choke his yam,” he remarked.
The Atiku aide also questioned the government’s claims of billions disbursed to vulnerable Nigerians through social intervention programmes.
“Nigerians ask simply: where? If the yam was truly cooked, neighbours would perceive the aroma. Across the land, poverty still walks naked and hunger knocks daily, yet the government sings of generosity that citizens cannot see or feel.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s journey since independence, Shaibu acknowledged the nation’s endurance through war, dictatorship, and political instability, but warned that resilience must not be mistaken for satisfaction.
“A masquerade does not clap for itself; it is the crowd that cheers when the steps are sweet. Nigerians are not clapping, because the music they hear is hunger, insecurity, and despair,” he said.
He concluded with a call for honesty and humility in leadership, stating that true progress should be measured by tangible improvements in daily life — affordable food, functional schools, reliable electricity, and safe communities.
“Statistics do not fill cooking pots, and PowerPoint slides do not light up homes. If this administration is truly laying foundations, let those foundations be seen and felt.”
Shaibu’s remarks mark a continuation of the opposition’s growing criticism of the Tinubu administration, as economic conditions bite harder for millions, despite official claims of progress.
