Addressing the ongoing security crisis in Nigeria, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Tinubu administration’s perceived incompetence and detachment from the realities facing the nation.
“The Tinubu administration has proven, time and again, to be utterly incapable, wholly incompetent, and completely devoid of any coherent ideas for tackling Nigeria’s deepening security crisis,” Atiku asserted.
He emphasised that this sentiment is not merely his own, but a growing consensus among political opposition leaders, respected security experts, and even members of the ruling party who privately share these concerns.
Atiku pointed to the recent tragic events in the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum LGA in Benue State, where the blood of innocent Nigerians continues to be spilled with alarming regularity.
“Yet, the Tinubu presidency remains disturbingly indifferent, displaying neither urgency nor the basic decency of public empathy,” he lamented.
Citing historical examples of leadership during crises, Atiku remarked, “Leadership demands presence. In 2016, President Barack Obama cut short an important diplomatic visit to return home after five police officers were killed in a lone gunman attack. In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa abandoned a state visit to Egypt to return to South Africa amid an electricity crisis. Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, heavily criticised for fleeing to Mexico during a deadly winter storm in Texas, eventually returned and acknowledged his mistake.”
He continued, “In our own history, President Goodluck Jonathan returned from Equatorial Guinea in 2014 following a deadly bomb blast in Abuja. That is the expected minimum in moments of national trauma.”
Atiku Abubakar did not hold back in his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s approach, stating, “If he cannot act, the least he can do is show up. If he cannot lead with empathy, he should at least attempt the performance of it. Nigeria is bleeding. Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found.”
Offering his condolences, Atiku expressed his solidarity with the people and Government of Benue State: “My heartfelt condolences go to the people and Government of Benue State. We stand with you in grief and in solidarity.”
Concluding his statement, Atiku asserted, “An inept administration may not suddenly discover competence. But we will not stop calling it out. If Tinubu cannot deliver safety and dignity to Nigerians, the very least he can do is pretend to care — regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation.”
