Former Vice President and opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, has praised Nigerians for what he described as their uncommon patience, endurance, and resilience in the face of worsening socio-economic and security challenges.
Atiku, who issued his Independence Day message on Tuesday, used the opportunity to criticise the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of abandoning citizens to their fate.
According to him, millions of Nigerians have been reduced to refugees and beggars under the incumbent administration.
Naija News reports that the Wazirin Adamawa lamented that Nigerians are enduring untold hardship from what he called raging insecurity, rising food scarcity, mass unemployment, and a dangerous climate of hopelessness.”
He added that these conditions had been compounded by what he described as the insensitivity of the APC-led administration.
“It is tragic that in a country blessed with immense human and material resources, millions of our people have been reduced to refugees and beggars in their fatherland. Every responsible government holds the welfare and security of its citizens as supreme.
“But what we have today is an administration that has abandoned its people. Hunger is killing Nigerians, bandits are massacring communities, yet President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet stand by, unmoved and uncaring,” he said.
The former vice president urged citizens not to lose hope, stressing that democracy offers Nigerians a chance to change their reality at the ballot box.
“The beauty of democracy lies in the power of the ballot. Oppressed and battered as our people may feel today, they will have the chance to sweep away this inept government at the next polls. That is the power no cabal can take away from the people,” Atiku declared.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, Atiku said the nation remains a giant moving painfully slow on the feet of clay, a condition he blamed on decades of poor leadership and wasteful governance.
He, however, insisted that with the right leadership, Nigeria could still recover and reclaim its rightful place among leading nations.
“At 65, Nigeria remains a giant moving painfully slow on feet of clay, a direct result of decades of poor leadership and wasteful governance. But we must keep hope alive. With the right leadership, our country can rise from the ashes of failed governance and take its place in the comity of nations,” he said.
The opposition leader rounded off his message by extending warm wishes to Nigerians on the country’s 65th Independence Day anniversary, urging them to remain steadfast and united despite prevailing challenges.
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