Atiku accuses FG of using poverty as ‘political weapon’

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the current administration of deliberately using poverty as a political weapon, claiming that economic hardship is being manipulated to control and suppress the population.

Atiku spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the 60th birthday lecture of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, themed “Weaponising Poverty in Nigeria.”

“This particular government is weaponising poverty,” Atiku declared.

He emphasised this by recounting his early years.

He added, “When I was growing up in the north, the most prosperous city or state was Kano State.

“As soon as I finished secondary school, my first location was Kano State. I never saw people sleeping outside. Then there were no bridges or flyovers.”

He continued, painting an ugly picture of present-day Kano, “Recently, people were all over the state sleeping under the bridge, on the streets, who were driven out by poverty and insecurity. There is a state agency in Kano responsible for providing support to such people. And they started doing their work and enlightening people and removing people from under the bridges and outside on the streets.

They were called to Abuja and they were told to stop it.”

Atiku expressed determination to resist this trend.

“You may call me a conspirator, you may call me anything, and that is why we are in this alliance to make sure we don’t allow them to continue weaponising poverty. Of course, one of our star conspirators is Rotimi Amaechi.

“We will continue to conspire with you to make sure we minimise poverty and we don’t use state machinery to weaponise poverty,” he said.

Also speaking, Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, described the current situation as the biggest trouble Nigeria has ever been in.

“Nigeria is in its biggest trouble since 1914. We are together working, conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track,” he said.

However, El-Rufai offered a nuanced take on Atiku’s claim, saying, “Many people have spoken about weaponisation of poverty and whether politicians are deliberately using poverty as a weapon. I don’t think so. Poverty weaponises itself if allowed to exist and fester. That’s what has happened in Nigeria.

I don’t think politicians are that smart to even sit and weaponise poverty.”

El-Rufai placed the blame on the country’s repeated selection of unfit leaders.

“We just get incompetent people and we hand over leadership to them.

“They don’t know what to do. Most of them don’t really know what to do. They just know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it,” he said.

He called on Nigerians to change course in the next general elections, saying, “Wherever you see islands of progress in Nigeria, it is because a competent person has been given the opportunity to serve.

“What we have done in this country is to allow bandits, not the ones in the bushes, the urban bandits to take over the governance of our country.

“The key challenge for Nigerians in 2027 is really to look at those that are offering themselves for leadership and pick those that have the competence, capability, capacity, and commitment to make Nigeria move forward.”

However, Amaechi noted that Nigerian leaders are not the root of the problems.

“Nigerian leaders and elites are not the problems of Nigeria. The problem of Nigeria is the followership.

“No Nigerian leader cares for you. And the reason why no Nigerian leader cares for you is because you will do nothing,” he said.

He also recalled the aftermath of citizen protests.

“You protested. At the end of the protest, the president announced an increase in the price of fuel because you will do nothing,” he added.

Frustrated with the nation’s stagnation and seeming apathy, Amaechi said, “We don’t want to move the country forward. If you’re not ashamed, I’m ashamed.”

He concluded with a question: “I look at Nigeria and I ask myself, what are we actually doing here? Do we really want to be a country?”