In an Independence Day message, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid tribute to the patience and resilience of Nigerians enduring what he described as “suffocating” socio-economic and security conditions. He stated that citizens continue to hold the country together despite immense challenges.
Atiku lamented the state of the nation, citing “excruciating pains” from raging insecurity, rising food scarcity, mass unemployment, and a climate of hopelessness. He attributed these hardships directly to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the insensitivity of the current administration.
“It’s tragic,” Atiku declared, “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.” He accused the government of having abandoned its people, standing by “unmoved and uncaring” while hunger and violence plague the populace.
The former Vice President called on citizens not to lose faith, framing the 2027 general elections as a critical opportunity for change. “The beauty of democracy lies in the power of the ballot,” he stated. “Oppressed and battered as our people may feel today, they will have the chance to sweep away this inept government at the next polls.”
While acknowledging that Nigeria, at 65, remains a “giant moving painfully slow on feet of clay” due to decades of poor governance, Atiku urged Nigerians to keep hope alive. He insisted that with the right leadership, the country can still reclaim its rightful place on the global stage.
