Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has issued a scathing critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of plunging Nigerians into “inflation, hunger, and despair” following what he described as the “hasty and thoughtless” removal of fuel subsidy.

In a strongly worded statement released Friday, Atiku condemned the government’s economic policies and its treatment of workers, asserting that the current administration has consistently failed to fulfill its promises — particularly those relating to wage awards intended to cushion the harsh effects of the subsidy removal.

“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hastily and thoughtlessly removed fuel subsidy on the day of his inauguration,” Atiku said, “he triggered an economic avalanche that has since buried the average Nigerian under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair.”

The former Vice President noted that the Tinubu government, after initiating the controversial subsidy removal, had promised to pay a ₦35,000 monthly wage award to federal civil servants as a temporary relief measure. However, Atiku claimed that the promise has largely gone unfulfilled.

“It took the Tinubu administration a staggering 10 months to arrive at a new minimum wage figure,” he said. “By implication, the Federal Government owes 10 months of wage award arrears to federal workers. Yet, only six months have been paid — and that too, after a series of unfulfilled assurances and avoidable delays.”

Atiku said that federal workers are currently owed four months’ worth of wage awards, amounting to ₦140,000 per worker, and described the government’s failure to pay as a “broken covenant.”

While praising some state governments for what he called their “commendable responsibility” in handling labour matters, Atiku spared no words in criticizing the Federal Government’s “callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare.”

“This administration has distinguished itself not just by its failures, but by its total disregard for the struggles of the ordinary Nigerian worker. It has repeatedly made empty promises, delayed action, and ignored the desperate cries of civil servants trying to survive under impossible conditions,” he said.

Atiku added that the economic hardship being experienced across the country is not merely a policy failure but a humanitarian crisis, one he claims has been met with indifference from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) 

In a particularly damning section of his statement, Atiku decried the arrest and continued detention of Comrade Andrew Uche Emelieze, a labour activist who was reportedly taken into custody nearly two weeks ago for attempting to organize a peaceful protest to demand payment of the delayed wage awards.

“Instead of engaging in dialogue or fulfilling its promises, the government has now resorted to tyranny and suppression of free speech,” Atiku said. “Comrade Emelieze’s only ‘crime’ was speaking up for workers abandoned by the state.”

He called the activist’s detention a “chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration,” demanding Emelieze’s immediate and unconditional release.

“His continued detention is an affront to democracy, a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker, and a chilling reminder of how far the current administration is willing to go to silence dissent,” he declared.

Atiku’s remarks come at a time of growing discontent across the country. Labour unions, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens have voiced frustration over the rising cost of living, unpaid benefits, and what they describe as a government out of touch with the suffering of the people.

“The economic hardship is real, the hunger is biting, and the government has a duty to act, not repress,” Atiku warned, as he urged Nigerian workers and the public not to be intimidated.

“Let it be known: Nigerian workers will not be silenced, intimidated, or forgotten,” he said.

As of the time of this report, the presidency had not issued any official response to Atiku Abubakar’s statement. However, government insiders have previously defended the fuel subsidy removal as a necessary but painful decision to stabilize Nigeria’s finances, blaming years of economic mismanagement for the country’s current woes.

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has also faced criticism for its slow pace in concluding minimum wage negotiations and addressing the backlog of wage award payments.

Meanwhile, labour groups are reportedly planning more coordinated actions in the coming weeks to press home their demands. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have repeatedly warned the federal government that patience among workers is wearing thin.

A Political Flashpoint

Atiku’s intervention is likely to escalate the political temperature in Nigeria, particularly as economic issues take center stage in public discourse. It also revives ongoing debates over the legality and morality of protests, the right to organize, and the government’s obligations to its citizens in hard times.

As one political analyst noted, “This is more than just a labour issue — it is a test of the Tinubu administration’s credibility, its tolerance for dissent, and its willingness to engage with criticism in a democratic society.”

With inflation remaining in double digits, food prices soaring, and public trust in government at a fragile low, Atiku’s latest salvo may strike a chord with many Nigerians who feel let down by the promises of a better future.