Stop blaming Nigerians for insecurity, Atiku tells Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu's government, accusing it of mismanaging Nigeria's escalating insecurity and economic crises. Abubakar contends that the presidency is attempting to deflect responsibility by blaming ordinary Nigerians and the media for the nation's worsening conditions.

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Is the presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day? Is this an official declaration that Africa’s largest economy has been reduced to an eight-hour economy where citizens must shut down their businesses, abandon legitimate travel, and retreat indoors once the sun sets?

Abubakar expressed alarm over recent presidential remarks suggesting that kidnapping incidents occur because citizens disregard warnings against nighttime travel. He questioned the implication, asking if this meant Nigerians could only be safe for limited hours. "Is the presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day? Is this an official declaration that Africa’s largest economy has been reduced to an eight-hour economy where citizens must shut down their businesses, abandon legitimate travel, and retreat indoors once the sun sets?" he asked.

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The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. Citizens do not surrender their freedoms in exchange for curfews imposed by fear.

The former vice president stressed that the government's primary duty is to protect lives and property, asserting that citizens do not forfeit their freedoms for curfews imposed by fear. He cited daily killings in Benue and Plateau states, bandit attacks in Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger, and widespread kidnappings and terrorism as evidence that insecurity is a tangible reality, not mere media exaggeration.

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A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them. The blame belongs squarely where it should, on those charged with securing the country.

"A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them. The blame belongs squarely where it should, on those charged with securing the country," Abubakar stated. He warned that normalizing insecurity by advising citizens to avoid travel at certain hours would have severe economic consequences, arguing that economies thrive on free movement and trade, not on fear of the dark.

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A nation cannot prosper when its people are told that safety ends at sunset. Economies grow because people can move freely, trade freely, and conduct lawful activities without fear.