From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the reported killing of 5,091 Nigerians in violent incidents across the country within three months as a “damning scorecard” of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Atiku, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the figure represented not just statistics but the human cost of what he described as the government’s failure to deploy the resources, discipline and urgency required to protect Nigerians.
He spoke in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, yesterday.
Atiku said the worsening insecurity could not be separated from what he described as the administration’s fiscal indiscipline, wasteful expenditure and poor implementation of budgetary appropriations.
“Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear. Five thousand and ninety-one reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government.
“These figures are the human cost of every padded budget, every frivolous expenditure and every failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national priorities,” he said.
The former vice president said the alleged diversion of public resources to “wasteful and politically expedient projects” was undermining national security and limiting the capacity of the Armed Forces and other security agencies to respond effectively to threats.
Atiku welcomed the recent announcement of a pay increase for military personnel but said improved remuneration was only a fraction of what was required to restore morale and strengthen the operational effectiveness of troops on the frontlines.
“Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries. They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are,” he said.
Atiku said the government’s primary responsibility was to protect the lives and property of citizens, adding that failure to do so amounted to failure of governance.
“A government that cannot protect its citizens has failed the first test of governance. Nigerians cannot continue to pay with their lives for the failures, waste and misplaced priorities of an administration that has failed in its most basic constitutional duty,” he said.
He described every Nigerian killed by terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes as a failure of the state to fulfil its responsibility to protect citizens.
“These are not mere statistics. They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, breadwinners and citizens who had every right to expect protection from their government.
“Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go,” Atiku said.
(The Sun)