Atiku Abubakar

PRESS RELEASE @atiku Sets Agenda for Proposed US Visit Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has declared that his forthcoming engagement with policy and institutional stakeholders in the United States will be driven by one overriding concern: the alarming deterioration of security, governance, and economic stability in Nigeria. Atiku states plainly that Nigeria is facing a full-blown internal crisis, one that can no longer be downplayed, politicized, or explained away. From the ravaging violence in the North-West and North-East, to the persistent bloodshed in the Middle Belt, and the growing spread of kidnapping and criminality across the country, Atiku warns that the Nigerian state is steadily losing its grip on its most fundamental responsibility: the protection of lives and property. According to him, the situation has moved beyond isolated incidents to a pattern of systemic failure. Communities are being overrun, livelihoods destroyed, and citizens abandoned to their fate. He argues that any government that cannot guarantee basic security forfeits the moral basis of its mandate. The former Vice President also points to the deepening economic hardship confronting Nigerians, describing it as both severe and avoidable. He notes that rising inflation, a weakened currency, and collapsing purchasing power have pushed millions into distress, while policy inconsistency and lack of strategic direction continue to erode confidence in the economy. In his words, Nigerians are not just tired, they are being stretched to the limits of endurance. Atiku further raises concerns about the state of Nigeria’s democratic institutions, warning that declining public confidence in governance, accountability, and the electoral process poses a direct threat to national stability. As the country moves toward another election cycle, he insists that any attempt to undermine transparency or manipulate outcomes will carry serious consequences for both unity and legitimacy. Addressing the anticipated criticism of his international engagement, Atiku is unequivocal: telling the truth about Nigeria is not unpatriotic. He rejects the notion that engaging global partners amounts to inviting foreign interference, stressing that Nigeria does not exist in isolation and cannot pretend that its internal failures have no external implications. He maintains that the world already sees what is happening; the real question is whether Nigerian leaders are prepared to confront it honestly. He reiterates that only Nigerians will decide Nigeria’s leadership, but insists that international partners have a legitimate interest in the stability, governance standards, and democratic health of a country as strategically important as Nigeria. According to him, responsible leadership does not hide from scrutiny, it welcomes it as a pathway to improvement. In a direct message to the current administration, Atiku warns against complacency and deflection. He states that power is not an entitlement but a responsibility, and that Nigerians expect results, not explanations. He calls on the government to urgently reset its priorities, restore public confidence, and demonstrate a clear, credible strategy for addressing insecurity and economic decline. To Nigerians, he delivers a blunt reminder: no nation survives in silence. He urges citizens to remain vigilant, engaged, and unyielding in their demand for accountability, emphasizing that real change will not come from outside the country but from the collective will of its people. Atiku concludes that Nigeria stands at a critical juncture. The choice, he says, is between confronting hard truths now or allowing the country to drift further into instability. For him, the moment demands courage, honesty, and decisive leadership, anything less would be a disservice to the nation and its future. Signed: Paul Ibe Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 Abuja 03 May, 2026.

A Missed Opportunity for Transformation. During the 2023 presidential campaign, I presented Nigerians with an alternative vision. Our manifesto proposed a $10 billion economic stimulus programme, a bold, people-centred intervention that would have used the savings from subsidy removal to directly transform the lives of Nigerians. This plan was designed to create millions of jobs across agriculture, manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure. It would have lifted millions out of poverty, provided targeted support to the most vulnerable, and ignited the kind of economic activity that grows the tax base organically. A stimulus of that scale, properly implemented, would have generated far more revenue for government than any tax increase ever could, because it would have been earned from a growing, productive economy rather than extracted from an impoverished, shrinking one. It would have meant that the pain of subsidy removal was temporary, giving way to a period of genuine renewal, renewal of opportunity, of employment, of hope. Instead, Nigerians were given a coastal highway awarded without due process to a presidential buddy. The contrast between these two visions, one centred on the people, one centred on self, could not be starker. A Message to Nigerian Workers. On this Workers' Day, I want to speak directly to the men and women who wake up every morning and go to work in spite of everything: the civil servants who have not received their full entitlements, the traders whose goods no one can afford to buy, the factory workers whose employers are closing shop, the teachers and medical personnel holding together systems that government is failing to adequately fund. You are not invisible. Your suffering is not a statistic. It is real, it is documented, and it is a direct consequence of a trial-and-error policy choices made by those entrusted with the responsibility to serve you. Nigeria's working people did not cause this crisis. They did not vote for impoverishment. They voted for hope, and that hope was taken from them. They deserve leadership that spends the nation's resources on their welfare, not on opaque mega-projects that serve the well-connected. They deserve a government that measures its success by their living standards, not by the size of its spending, the growth of its debt, or the breadth of its patronage networks. Nigeria can and must do better. The resources exist. The talent exists. What is lacking is the will to govern for all Nigerians rather than for the few. A Call for Real Renewal. Nigeria can, and must do better. The resources exist. The talents abound. What is lacking is the will to govern for all, not just for a privileged few. On this Workers' Day, I reaffirm my commitment to building a Nigeria where the dignity of labour is matched by its reward m, where hard work pays, where honesty is protected, and where government truly serves the people. The Nigerian worker deserves genuine renewal, not the Orwellian version. A renewal that is tangible, measurable and real. Not as a slogan. But as a lived reality. -AA

While the Nigerian worker pays more to transport themselves to and fro work, more to eat, more to keep their children in school, the administration is signing off on an $11 billion contract that bypassed every safeguard of transparency and accountability that should protect the public purse. Currency Mismanagement and Economic Pain. This administration's decision to float the nation’s currency has led to the free fall of the Naira and the ensuing erosion of purchasing power is compounding the misery of the fuel subsidy removal. Again, exchange rate reform is a legitimate policy debate. But the manner in which it was done, abruptly, without a credible foreign exchange supply strategy, without the structural reforms needed to attract the inflows that would stabilise the currency, caused the Naira to enter a catastrophic free fall. The exchange rate, which was already under severe pressure, crashed to levels that had never before been seen in our national economic history. For the Nigerian worker earning a salary denominated in Naira, this collapse was devastating. Whatever purchasing power had survived years of inflation was wiped out. Imported goods, including medicines, food items, and educational materials, became unaffordable. In fact some goods, especially medicines are no longer on the shelves. Businesses that relied on imported inputs shut down or drastically reduced their operations, leading to job losses. Workers who had spent decades building careers found themselves unable to provide for their families in any meaningful way. Taxing the Impoverished. Ironically, what has been showcased as tax reforms is indeed the taxing of the impoverished. As if the combined effects of fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation were not punishment enough for the Nigerian worker, the Tinubu administration also set about reviewing the nation's tax laws, with the stated purpose of extracting more revenue from the citizenry. Increasing taxes during an economic crisis, when citizens are already struggling to survive, is not fiscal responsibility. It is an act of cruelty masquerading as policy. A government that truly serves its people grows the tax base by growing the economy, by creating the conditions for businesses to thrive, for jobs to multiply, for incomes to rise. When more people are employed and earning more, tax revenues naturally increase without placing an additional burden on those who are already struggling. The Tinubu administration has chosen the opposite approach: squeeze the people harder, regardless of their capacity to pay. Borrowing More, Delivering Less. Sadly, borrowing more, and delivering less has become the characteristics of the Tinubu-led APC administration. What makes this administration's economic record even more alarming is that, alongside all the new revenues generated, from subsidy savings, from a floating exchange rate that boosted Naira receipts on dollar-denominated revenues, and from aggressive taxation, government borrowing has also increased dramatically. Nigeria's debt profile has worsened. And yet, for two consecutive years, the government has been unable to fully fund its own budget. Nigerians are owed a full and transparent account of where all this money has gone. Increased revenues plus increased borrowing should translate into increased development. Instead, we see decaying infrastructure, underfunded public services, and a population sinking deeper into multidimensional poverty. The arithmetic simply does not add up, and that absence of accountability is an insult to every worker who pays taxes and every citizen and the generations unborn in whose names these loans are taken.

#WorkersDay2026: Broken Promises, Shattered Hopes: The Nigerian Worker's Burden Under the Tinubu Administration. Every first day of May, nations across the world pause to honour the dignity of labour and the men and women whose sweat and toil sustain civilisation. In Nigeria, Workers' Day has always carried a particular poignancy, a moment to celebrate the resilience of a workforce that endures much and receives little. But as we mark this year's commemoration, I write not with celebration in my heart, but with grief. Grief for the Nigerian worker who was promised renewed hope and received instead renewed hardship. A Slogan Betrayed. "Renewed Hope" - those two words carried the dreams of millions of Nigerians who trooped to the polls in 2023. They were words that promised a departure from the suffering of previous years; a promise that the government would finally work for the people. Today, as we assess nearly three years of the Tinubu administration, it is painfully clear that what was renewed was not hope, but hardship. What was refreshed was not the fortunes of the Nigerian people, but the pockets of those in power. The Nigerian worker, the teacher, the nurse, the factory hand, the civil servant, the artisan, has been the primary victim of an administration that, by all observable evidence, is far more interested in increasing the revenue at its disposal than in improving the lives of the citizens it governs. Trillions Saved, But Nothing Felt. The fuel subsidy removal was a necessary step, recklessly executed. Let me be clear: the removal of the fuel subsidy was, in principle, a policy that many, including myself, had long advocated. The subsidy had become a fiscal haemorrhage that enriched cabal middlemen while denying the government of the resources needed for development. Its removal was necessary and overdue. But the manner in which the Tinubu administration executed this policy was irresponsible and callous. On the day of inauguration, with no preparation, no safety nets, no cushioning mechanisms, and no transition plan for ordinary Nigerians, the President announced the end of the subsidy. The price of fuel skyrocketed. Transportation costs doubled and tripled overnight. The cost of food and basic goods hit the roof. The Nigerian worker, who was already struggling to survive on a salary eroded by years of inflation, was suddenly confronted with a cost of living that made mere survival feel like a luxury. A responsible government would have spent the preceding months preparing Nigerians for this transition, establishing social safety nets, empowering the most vulnerable, and ensuring that the pain of reform was shared equitably. This administration did none of that. It simply removed the subsidy and left the Nigerian worker to drown. Trillions were ostensibly saved, but nothing gained by the people. The fuel subsidy removal freed up enormous sums of money. Billions of dollars that had previously been committed to keeping pump prices artificially low were suddenly available. Nigerians, who had suffered the immediate consequences of the removal, were right to ask: Where has this saved money gone? What has been done with it to improve their lives? The answer is deeply troubling. Rather than being channelled into programmes that would directly benefit Nigerians, infrastructure that serves the people, healthcare, education, or an economic stimulus, these funds have been shared among the various tiers of government. The bulk of the federal government's share, disturbingly, appears to be financing the controversial $11 billion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. As desirable as this project was, it was not subjected to competitive bidding or due process. It was awarded to a company owned by a man that President Tinubu himself has publicly acknowledged as his business partner. This is not governance, it is the brazen conversion of public resources for private enrichment.

Tonight, I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow leaders of our great party, the African Democratic Congress, in a decisive meeting to determine the next phase of our determined progress. Our mission is clear and our resolve unshakeable—to build the ADC into a formidable force that will not only unseat a failing ruling party but also rekindle hope, restore dignity, and bring Nigeria back to the path of purpose and prosperity. –AA

Even as we welcome the Supreme Court’s firm affirmation of David Mark and the leadership of our great party, the African Democratic Congress, let no one be lulled into complacency. The road ahead remains long in our cause to take back and rescue our country. This victory belongs to Nigerians, the courageous millions who refuse to surrender their future. We thank them, and we urge them to remain steadfast, because the struggle is far from over. As we press on, let this truth guide us: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. –AA

We have just concluded a meeting with the leadership and stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the Abuja residence of the party's National Chairman, David Mark. It was a productive meeting. -AA

Today, I had an engaging and fruitful audience with my dear brother, H.E Rotimi Amaechi, @ChibuikeAmaechi, at his residence in Abuja. Amaechi is a statesman whose distinguished service as a two-time Speaker, two-time Governor, and two-time Minister continues to echo in the annals of our national life. I remain deeply grateful for the warmth, grace, and generosity of spirit with which he received me and my delegation. –AA.

It is increasingly evident that Nigeria’s democracy, and indeed the integrity of the 2027 general elections is in serious jeopardy. Democracy itself is now facing an existential threat. However, I do not want to believe that the judiciary, long regarded as the last hope of the common man, would align with the ruling APC in any effort that could undermine or destroy our democratic foundations. -AA

Yesterday, upon my arrival from Ibadan after the National Opposition Summit, I proceeded directly to the wedding of my godson, Cross Okonkwo @crossdabossike, and Chinonso Okonkwo, here in Abuja. The occasion provided yet another opportunity to reflect the strong bond between our families. I wish the couple a very happy and fulfilling married life. -AA

At today’s National Opposition Summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, we spoke with one voice, fearless, and unmistakable: the time has come to forge a united opposition, bound by purpose and driven by the sacred duty to defend and sustain our democracy. This is not a choice; it is an obligation we owe to Nigeria and to generations yet unborn. I extend my profound gratitude to our gracious Chief Host, Governor @seyimakinde, and to the resilient and warm-hearted people of Oyo State for providing the ground upon which this historic resolve has been rekindled. Oyo state has a history of being present when the politics of Nigeria is to be defined. -AA

I have just arrived in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the National Summit of all opposition parties. -AA

This afternoon, I hosted the Legislative Forum of our great party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Hon. Uko Nkole, at my residence in Abuja. I am deeply grateful for their visit and unwavering commitment to delivering success for ADC in the upcoming general elections. Nigeria shall Arise and Shine when we stand together. -AA

Warmest congratulations to Tony Nwoye on his emergence as Senate Minority Whip, a defining moment for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and a bold step toward resetting Nigeria’s governance trajectory. I am confident this milestone will rally patriotic senators across party lines and strengthen our collective push for a democracy that delivers prosperity, freedom, and lasting peace. Once again, congratulations, Distinguished Senator Nwoye.-AA

Last night, I received two Christian clerics, Bishop (Dr.) Joseph Stanley and Archbishop (Dr.) Kingsley Oloro, at my residence in Abuja. We engaged in fruitful conversations. -AA

This afternoon, I met with the Coalition for Democracy Movement, led by Dr. Jibril Shehu Mustapha, who outlined their nationwide structure and commitment to supporting our cause, especially as it’s the move credible and also protecting the votes. I highlighted growing concerns about election manipulation, especially at collation centres, and stressed the need for effective countermeasures, while expressing gratitude for their support and commending their consistency. I assured them that their sacrifices will not be forgotten, and that history will remember their role in defending democracy. -AA

The gallant troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have once again demonstrated courage, professionalism, and an unyielding commitment to the protection of innocent Nigerians. I commend our brave men and women in uniform for the successful rescue of the abducted passengers along the Makurdi–Otukpo road, including young UTME candidates whose futures remain bright because of this timely intervention. Their sacrifice and vigilance continue to inspire hope across our nation. While we celebrate this success, it also reinforces the urgent need to strengthen our security architecture and ensure that every Nigerian can travel without fear. Nigeria must work and it will work when we support and equip those who stand daily in defense of our people. -AA

The Code of Conduct advisory issued by the National Broadcasting Commission is yet another troubling attempt to muzzle the media and shrink the space for free expression in Nigeria. Our media industry has grown into a formidable institution, respected globally for its resilience and professionalism. It is therefore alarming that, each time elections approach, the NBC resorts to heavy-handed directives that do more to silence dissent than to uphold ethical journalism. I stand firmly with Nigeria’s broadcast industry and all media platforms resisting this creeping censorship. Let it be clear: ethical standards are not seasonal tools to be weaponised during campaigns, they are constant obligations. The timing and tone of these regulations expose a deeper agenda. It signals a government more interested in controlling narratives than permitting a free, fair, and transparent electoral process. –AA

Yesterday evening, I received stakeholders of the Adamawa State chapter of the ADC at my Abuja residence, a visit that deeply touched me. I thanked them for the gesture and reminded the new state leadership that unity is now their sacred duty: to heal divisions, carry everyone along, and lead with fairness. I remain convinced that the ADC has risen as Nigeria’s true opposition force. One that is strong in ideals, structure, and resolve, and ready to challenge and defeat the failing APC in the elections ahead. -AA