Nigeria's Insecurity Fueled by Padded Budgets, Wasteful Spending: Atiku Abubakar

Nigeria's escalating insecurity is a direct result of bloated budgets and profligate government spending, according to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He asserted that the reported 5,091 killings across the country within a mere three months serve as a stark indictment of President Bola Tinubu's administration, which he claims has failed in its most fundamental duty: safeguarding lives and property.

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Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go

"Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go," Abubakar declared in a statement. His Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, elaborated that these figures represent the human cost of insecurity and the consequences of a government that lacks the necessary resources, discipline, and urgency to protect its citizens.

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Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear. Five thousand and ninety-one reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government.

Shaibu emphasized that each death signifies a life cut short, a family plunged into mourning, and communities living in fear. He argued that such a high death toll should deeply trouble any government, especially when it stems from padded budgets, frivolous expenditures, and the failure to allocate funds to critical national priorities. "You cannot run the public treasury as though it were a private purse, squander scarce resources on questionable priorities and then expect soldiers and other security personnel on the frontlines to perform miracles," he stated.

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These figures are the human cost of every padded budget, every frivolous expenditure and every failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national priorities. You cannot run the public treasury as though it were a private purse, squander scarce resources on questionable priorities and then expect soldiers and other security personnel on the frontlines to perform miracles

Abubakar also addressed the recent pay increase for military personnel, acknowledging its necessity but deeming it insufficient. He stressed that improved remuneration is only a small part of what is needed to boost morale and operational effectiveness. "Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries. They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are," he said. He concluded by urging Nigerians to demand a government that curtails waste, eliminates questionable spending, and significantly enhances the execution of budgetary appropriations, particularly for defense and security.

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Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries. They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are