‘Nigerians Are Not Beggars’ — Atiku Abubakar Slams Tinubu Government Over Rice Palliatives
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has delivered a sharp rebuke of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing the federal government of “weaponizing hunger” and deploying food palliatives as an instrument of political influence.
The leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) argued that the recent distribution of rice across Northern states undermines the dignity of citizens already burdened by deepening poverty driven by ineffective economic management.
In a statement issued on Friday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, PulseNets learned that Atiku described the rollout of 100 trucks of rice alongside N1.2 billion in palliative support, flagged off by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, as a “calculated political performance.”
He emphasized that while the government stages highly publicized distribution events, the underlying structural drivers of widespread hardship remain largely unaddressed.
Atiku further observed that the “tragic normalization of poverty” under the present leadership has escalated to a level where many households can no longer afford basic nutrition due to persistent inflationary pressures, PulseNets reported.
Speaking on the situation in Northern Nigeria, the former Vice President noted that agricultural productivity has significantly deteriorated since 2023, attributing the decline to the government’s failure to adequately secure farmlands.
He stressed that large numbers of farmers have been displaced by insecurity, yet, according to him, the administration has opted to distribute what he termed “campaign lunch packs” rather than restore stability to key agricultural zones, PulseNets learnt.
Atiku also alleged that the politicization of hunger did not emerge overnight, claiming it began as a trial initiative when the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, shared food items during last year’s Ramadan and has since evolved into what he described as a routine operational strategy within the presidency.
The former Vice President concluded by asserting that the current policy direction reduces citizens to recipients of charity instead of beneficiaries of deliberate development planning. He maintained that Northern Nigeria requires long-term agricultural reforms rather than intermittent relief efforts.
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Firmly rejecting the narrative surrounding the palliative initiative, he declared that “Nigerians Are Not Beggars” and should not be left to depend on symbolic gestures while their economic realities continue to deteriorate.
In a related development, PulseNets reported that the First Lady on Thursday defended the intervention, stating that the palliative distribution is a necessary measure aimed at mitigating the impact of ongoing economic reforms.
