Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his reported three-week trip to Europe, saying the President’s absence comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with economic hardship and insecurity.
Atiku said while Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum, the country is experiencing what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
In a statement, the former vice president said there was a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and those of a sitting President, given the responsibilities attached to the office.
“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Atiku said.
He criticised the Tinubu administration over what he described as the rising cost of living, high petrol prices, expensive transportation and persistent insecurity.
“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” he said.
Atiku also questioned the timing of the President’s trip, noting that Vice President Kashim Shettima was already abroad on official duty.
“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand,” he said.
According to Atiku, the issue is not whether a President should travel or take time off, but whether the timing reflects the challenges confronting the country.
“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” he said.
He likened the situation to a family facing an emergency, arguing that a leader should remain present when immediate action is required.
“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” Atiku said.
The former vice president further accused the administration of being disconnected from the hardship faced by Nigerians.
“A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it,” he said.
Atiku concluded by contrasting his economic agenda with that of the Tinubu administration, saying he would seek to reverse the rising cost of living if elected president in 2027.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again,” he said.
