Nigeria Is Burning, Tinubu Chose Boarding Pass Over Fire Extinguisher — Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his three-week trip to Europe, saying the country is facing a vacuum of political leadership.

In a statement on Sunday, Atiku said though Nigeria is not facing a constitutional vacuum, there is a disturbing vacuum of leadership.

“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,” he said.

The ADC Presidential Candidate listed rising petrol price, food rationing by families, high transport fares and worsening insecurity as challenges left behind by the President.

“In the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe,” he said.

He noted that Vice President Kashim Shettima is also abroad on official duty in Angola, making the President’s decision difficult to understand.

“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” Atiku stated.

Using a parable, the former Vice President said: “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.”

He added: “Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher. Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving.”

Atiku concluded: “A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it. Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”