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Angry Atiku: Tinubu engrossed in killing opposition than Nigerian lives
An obviously incensed Atiku Abubakar, former Nigerian Vice President on Monday called out President Bola Tinubu for showing more interest in how to return to power in 2027 than the lives of Nigerians, currently being slaughtered by blood-thirsty criminals roaming the streets across the country.
On the heels of two high-profile crime incidents in the last few hours – the killing of a Nigerian Army General, Musa Uba by terrorists of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the abduction of 25 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko-Wasagu Area of Kebbi State, Atiku bewailed the attitude of the President to the development.
In a statement he personally signed, the former VP, who flew the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 presidential election, and was beaten to second position by the President, reminded Tinubu of the responsibility of his office, principally, to secure the lives of citizens.
Dwelling particularly on the case of the slain military top brass, Atiku said he was mostly pained about the nebulous nature of the story surrounding the circumstances, including the initial denial that he was killed in an earlier attack by the terrorists.
Hear him: “I am deeply saddened and extremely shocked and disturbed by news making the rounds of the killing of Brig. Gen. Musa Uba by terrorists and the failure of the military hierarchy to clearly explain how it happened or what went wrong, as initial official denials indicated that this was not the case.
“This for me is unequivocally a failure of political leadership as the President seems only more interested in decimating the opposition by all means possible, while forgetting his crucial role as Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.
“Gen. Musa’s death along with the deaths of some of the troops he was leading is one death too many and a bold terrorist resurgence our dear country can not afford.
“I urge all citizens and our military leaders to take heart, as even this season shall pass away. To Mr. President: the security of the lives of our people is your primary responsibility and you must live up to it or be humble enough to admit incompetence and either ask for help or resign.
“If I were President, I would order the military to occupy Borno State or any state under siege by bandits or armed groups until they clear those areas. We must care enough for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our sake.
“I offer my condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, the family of the bereaved and indeed to all Nigerians. May this dark period pass over us as a nation, sooner than later.”
“The most disturbing aspect of the financial management fiasco under Bola Tinubu is that there is no explanation or information regarding how the balance was utilised or deployed.”
These were the exact words with which Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 presidential election bemoaned the umpteenth time, the penchant of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to embark on inexplicably, reckless borrowing.
Obi, who had been consistent in questioning the hunger for foreign loans by the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC), right from the years of President Muhammadu Buhari, was aghast that the incumbent, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had surpassed the previous government without anything to show for it.
Using his X platform, Obi, who bemoaned the situation where Nigeria’s total public debt had bloated to about N200 trillion under Tinubu’s administration, representing an increase of more than N100 trillion within three years, demanded explanations for what he called the government’s lack of transparency in the utilisation of the borrowed funds.
Stressing how the Tinubu’s accumulated debt had significantly outstripped that of Buhari, the former Governor of Anambra State, lamented that the current debt burden had become a major concern for Nigerians already struggling with economic hardship, inflation and declining purchasing power.
Hear him: “President Bola Tinubu’s administration has engaged in remarkably imprudent borrowing, escalating Nigeria’s total debt to approximately N200 trillion.
“This represents an increase of over N100 trillion within a mere three years, a stark contrast to the roughly N49 trillion accumulated during President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
“As millions of Nigerians grapple with the shock of this unsustainable debt accumulation, the situation is exacerbated by the government’s reckless approach to borrowing and a profound absence of accountability and transparency in the utilisation of these funds.”
Citing figures from the Federation’s Budget Office, claiming that the federal government borrowed N11.89 trillion between January and September 2025, exceeding its planned borrowing target of N10.34 trillion for the period, he argued that such an overrun should ordinarily trigger scrutiny and explanations from relevant government institutions.
He contended that only N3.10 trillion of the borrowed funds was committed to capital projects during the same period, representing what he described as a small fraction of the amount budgeted for infrastructure and development programmes, adding that the discrepancy between the volume of borrowing and actual capital expenditure raises serious questions about the destination and utilisation of the funds.
Challenging the government to provide a detailed account of the spending of the funds, insisting that Nigerians deserved full disclosure on how public resources were being managed, he said: “The question that Nigerians are rightly asking and deserve an answer to is what happened to the balance?”
Adewole Adebayo, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the 2027 presidential election has raised the red-light signal, warning Nigerians to be up in arms against the proposals for a single six-year presidential term at the National Assembly.
Warning that the move was not only a distraction from the country’s more pressing challenges, but could portend a sinister outcome in future, the lawyer and economist, who appeared as a guest on ARISE NEWS Television on Wednesday, insisted that electoral integrity and effective governance should be Nigeria’s primary focus.
He told his host that the real issue confronting Nigeria was not the length of time elected officials spent in office, but whether leaders emerged through free, fair, and credible elections that truly reflect the will of the people.
Hints to the new proposal was served through Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Leader who said he had plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors, to enable elected officials focus more on governance rather than re-election campaigns.
But joining other Nigerian’s suspicious of the move as a red flag, Adebayo said: “It’s a distraction. These are all idle talks. A six-year term, a four-year term—that’s not the problem. The problem is that you have to have a system that works.
“You have to have a political system where the voter decides the winner, where nobody watches INEC as if you are watching a secret society, and where political parties raise ideas and raise new people. So, my focus, as we are heading towards the future, is that we must, once and for all, kill the demon of rigged elections. We must, once and for all, allow the voter to vote. So, the issue of how long you stay in power and all of that is irrelevant; it’s what you do when you get there.
“I think the present system of four years – and if you are good enough, you go for another four years – is good enough if the people who are actually going to the government are going there only by winning a free, fair, and credible election. We should focus on that now.”
It was also a day he cried out about the attempts of fifth columnists to introduce crisis into the party, citing the parallel presidential candidates within the SDP, which he said was sponsored, adding that genuine members were unperturbed by the development.
Hear him: “We are not bothered by that. It’s the normal staple. So, I think the burden is on INEC to try not to waste its time on that and to follow the law. What we can have is a set of political parties competing on a set of ideas, and the media moderating for all of us so that we can have equal hearing. Then, Nigerians can now decide to lay their bed the way they want to lay on it when the time comes.”
The Federal Government has begun the evacuation of its citizens from South Africa, presently home to rising xenophobic attacks against other Africans in the country, with the first batch expected Thursday evening.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who indicated this on Wednesday, said the evacuees would leave South Africa late Wednesday and touch down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday evening.
He said in a statement: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the first batch of Nigerian nationals that will be evacuated from the Republic of South Africa due to Xenophobic attacks will depart the Oliver Thambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, and the expected time of arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos is 5.00 am on Thursday morning.
“The evacuation operation will be undertaken by Air Peace Airlines. The Federal Government of Nigeria has fully funded the evacuation exercise; consequently, all affected Nigerians will be repatriated at no cost to them.”
Ebienfa assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, through relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), has put in place the necessary reception and support arrangements for the returnees.
“Upon arrival, the evacuees will undergo documentation and profiling procedures and will receive the appropriate assistance and support before being reunited with their families,” the ministry’s spokesperson added.
Tensions soared in South Africa after a citizen-led group opposed to irregular migration last month ordered all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by June 30.
Ghana and Mozambique have repatriated hundreds of their citizens; Malawi and Nigeria have announced they would do the same. Last week, Nigeria said it planned to repatriate more than 1,000 of its nationals from South Africa.
“Total figure not out yet,” Ebienfa said. “We are expecting over a 1,000 persons.”
In a statement, Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria said it had “negotiated waivers with host authorities” so that those with “immigration-related offences” would be allowed to leave on the eventual repatriation flights rather than be detained.
On Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said Nigeria may be considering retaliatory measures against South Africa following the hostility towards Nigerians and other black African migrants.
When asked whether Nigeria was considering retaliatory measures, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the option was under consideration.
“Well, that is a situation that we are considering. This is up to our legislature,” she said. “This is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government, but it’s not off the table.”
South Africa, until recently the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted workers from across the region.
But saddled with an unemployment rate of over 30 percent, it has seen repeated spurts of xenophobic protests — including renewed violence in recent weeks.
The latest tensions have revived uncomfortable debates across Africa about xenophobia, migration and the gap between pan-African rhetoric and realities facing migration on the continent.
An ultimatum by one citizen-led group for illegal migrants to be expelled by June 30 has raised fears of violence after bouts of anti-immigrant unrest in the past that claimed dozens of lives.
Last month, Ghana repatriated some 300 people, the first batch of what authorities said was expected to be a total of about 800 Ghanaian nationals.
The South African government has said it is stepping up enforcement against undocumented immigrants but urged citizens not to take matters into their own hands.
There are more than three million foreigners living in South Africa, or 5.1 percent of the population, according to the statistics agency.
More than 63 percent come from countries in the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.
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