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By Lawrence Agbo
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Tinubu administration of attempting to transfer responsibility for insecurity and worsening economic conditions to Nigerians and the media.
Atiku’s reaction followed comments by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said media coverage often created the impression that insecurity had spread across the entire country.
Onanuga, speaking on ARISE TV, also noted that several kidnapping and attack incidents occurred at night, when security agencies had advised Nigerians against travelling.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the comments suggested that citizens could only expect safety for a limited period each day.
“Is the Presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day?” Atiku asked.
“Is this an official declaration that Africa’s largest economy has been reduced to an eight-hour economy where citizens must shut down their businesses, abandon legitimate travel, and retreat indoors once the sun sets?”
The former vice-president said citizens should not be blamed when they are attacked while travelling or conducting lawful activities, insisting that the responsibility for protecting lives and property rests with the government and security agencies.
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“A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them,” he said.
“The blame belongs squarely where it should — on those charged with securing the country.”
Atiku said advising Nigerians to avoid movement after certain hours could not be a substitute for addressing insecurity, warning that such an approach would undermine trade, travel and economic activity.
“A nation cannot prosper when its people are told that safety ends at sunset,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate also faulted the Presidency for attributing reports of insecurity and hardship to media narratives, arguing that journalists were documenting conditions already experienced by citizens.
“Blaming journalists for reporting insecurity and hardship is like blaming a thermometer for a fever,” Atiku said.
He added that rising food prices, inflation, unemployment and declining purchasing power had left many households under pressure, urging the government to focus on solutions rather than explanations.
“Nigeria does not need explanations for suffering. Nigeria needs solutions. Nigeria does not need lectures about perception. Nigeria needs results,” he said.
