Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has questioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the rising cost of living, asking why Nigerians are finding it increasingly difficult to afford food, medicine and transportation despite nearly three years of economic reforms.
Atiku made the remarks on Thursday during a world press conference in Abuja, where he criticised the President’s description of Nigeria as a “cancer patient” in his October 1 Independence Day broadcast.
Tinubu, in his 66th Independence Anniversary address, had likened the country to a cancer patient undergoing treatment while defending the economic reforms introduced by his administration.
Reacting to the analogy, Atiku questioned the impact of the government’s economic policies on the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, particularly amid rising prices of essential goods and services.
“Bola, you called Nigeria a patient with cancer. After three years of your treatment, why is it harder for Nigerians to buy food, pay for medicine, or even get to work? Why does your government have more money while the people can afford less?” he asked.
The ADC chieftain argued that Nigerians should be able to see improvements in their living conditions if the economic reforms were delivering the intended results.
He maintained that the concerns of citizens over worsening economic conditions should not be dismissed as opposition to government policies.
According to him, a doctor treating a patient would listen to complaints about deteriorating health conditions rather than rely solely on increased hospital revenue as evidence of successful treatment.
“You said Nigerians must endure the pain because you are curing the disease, but when a patient cries out, a doctor listens. He does not call the patient retrogressive for asking when he will get better. He does not point to the hospital’s rising revenue and declare him healed,” Atiku said.
He further argued that the inability of citizens to afford basic necessities should not be regarded as proof that the government’s economic policies are working.
“A patient who cannot afford to live is not proof that the treatment is working. Absolutely not,” he stated.
Atiku also challenged Tinubu to take responsibility for Nigeria’s economic situation, noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had governed the country for eight years before the President assumed office in May 2023.
“And you cannot speak as though you arrived from the moon in 2023,” he said.
“Your party had governed Nigeria for eight years, if not more. If the country was as sick as you say, tell Nigeria to come to the places where Nigerians make their daily choices,” he added.
The comments come amid ongoing public debate over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy and other policy measures that have influenced the cost of transportation, food, healthcare and other essential services.
Atiku has consistently criticised the Federal Government’s management of the economy, while the Tinubu administration has defended its reform agenda, arguing that the measures are necessary to address structural economic challenges, improve government revenue and establish a more sustainable economic foundation.
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