Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the current administration of deliberately weaponising poverty to suppress the Nigerian population.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, May 31, at the 60th birthday lecture of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, themed “Weaponising Poverty in Nigeria,” Atiku alleged that the federal government is exploiting economic hardship as a political tool.
“I want to say that what we are experiencing currently in Nigeria is state weaponisation of poverty,” Atiku said.
He reflected on his early years in Kano, once regarded as one of Nigeria’s most prosperous regions, and contrasted it with today’s dire situation, where increasing numbers of people are forced to sleep under bridges and on the streets due to rising poverty and insecurity.
Atiku expressed concern over reports that a government agency in Kano, responsible for rehabilitating the homeless and vulnerable, was ordered to halt its operations after attempting to remove people from the streets.
“They were called to a meeting and were told to stop,” he said, calling the move part of a broader strategy to maintain control through deprivation.
Reaffirming his commitment to coalition efforts, Atiku declared, “You may call me a conspirator, you may call me anything, and that is why we are in this alliance — to ensure we don’t allow them to continue weaponising poverty.”
Also addressing the audience, Rotimi Amaechi linked Nigeria’s growing insecurity to deepening poverty, stressing that hunger and economic hardship cut across ethnic and religious lines.
“Hunger does not know tribe and religion. The current government has made people poorer, which has increased the rate of insecurity and crime in our society,” Amaechi said.
He urged Nigerians to recognize the power of their votes and use it to hold leaders accountable.
“The power resides with the people, not the politicians,” he concluded.
The event served as a platform for renewed criticism of the government’s economic policies, with both speakers calling for greater accountability and urgent systemic reforms.
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