Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, blaming its immediate removal of petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, for worsening the country’s economic crisis and pushing millions of Nigerians into deeper hardship.
In a strongly worded statement posted via his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday, Atiku described the policy as “hasty and thoughtless,” adding that it has plunged the average Nigerian into “inflation, hunger, and despair.”
“Instead of thoughtful planning and inclusive consultation, the government took a rash decision that has buried the average Nigerian under the weight of economic hardship,” Atiku wrote.
Atiku also accused the Tinubu-led administration of reneging on its promise to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal through a temporary N35,000 wage award for federal civil servants pending the finalisation of a new national minimum wage.
“In a bid to manage the self-inflicted crisis, the administration promised to pay a wage award to federal civil servants. That promise, like many others under this government, has become a broken covenant,” he said.
According to him, only six months’ worth of the wage award has been paid, leaving a backlog of four months amounting to ₦140,000 per worker, despite repeated assurances from the federal government.
“It took the administration 10 months to negotiate a new minimum wage. The wage award was meant to bridge that gap. Yet, federal workers are still being shortchanged,” Atiku added.
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While praising some state governments for responsibly engaging labour unions and honoring their wage obligations, Atiku said the federal government has displayed “callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare.”
He further condemned the continued detention of labour activist Andrew Uche Emelieze, who was arrested nearly two weeks ago for attempting to organise a peaceful protest over the unpaid wage awards.
“Instead of engaging in dialogue or fulfilling its promises, the government has now resorted to tyranny and suppression of free speech,” Atiku stated.
He called for Emelieze’s immediate and unconditional release, saying the activist’s only “crime” was standing up for the rights of abandoned workers.
“His detention is an affront to democracy, a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker, and a chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration,” he added.
In conclusion, the former Vice President said Nigerian workers and citizens will not remain silent in the face of hardship and repression.
“The economic hardship is real, hunger is biting, and the government has a duty to act — not repress. Nigerian workers will not be silenced, intimidated, or forgotten,” Atiku declared.
His remarks have intensified ongoing public discourse around inflation, delayed palliatives, and the Tinubu administration’s handling of post-subsidy economic policies, with many now questioning the government’s capacity to navigate the crisis without further eroding citizens’ welfare and civil liberties.