₦airaland Forum

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says President Bola Tinubu’s administration is attempting to shift the responsibility for the country’s worsening insecurity and economic challenges onto the media and citizens.

On Tuesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, accused sections of the Nigerian media of creating a false impression that the country is overwhelmed by insecurity.

Speaking on Arise TV, Onanuga said media reports often portray insecurity as if it has engulfed every part of Nigeria.

“The problem is that the media in Nigeria are even creating the problem. The way they’re reporting security is as if the entire country is consumed,” he said.

He added that incidents of kidnapping and attacks remain a concern, many of which occurred at night despite warnings from security agencies against night travel.

“Any time I read about either kidnapping or an attack somewhere, sometimes I look at the time. I say, wow, it happened at 8 p.m, it happened at 9 p.m, sometimes 1 a.m. A long time ago, the police told people to stop travelling at night.”

Reacting in a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku said the presidency’s remarks blaming citizens for insecurity indicated that Nigerians could only be safe for a limited part of the day.

“Is the presidency admitting that Nigerians can only be safe for a few hours of the day? 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.

Atiku noted that the burden of security should be placed on agencies responsible for protecting lives and properties instead of the citizens.

“The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. Citizens do not surrender their freedoms in exchange for curfews imposed by fear,” he said.

He said insecurity across the country could not be dismissed as media exaggeration due to evidence in the daily experiences of Nigerians.

“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. The blame belongs squarely where it should — on those charged with securing the country,” he said.

The ADC presidential candidate cautioned that the normalisation of insecurity by advising citizens to avoid travelling at certain hours would severely affect the economy.

“A nation cannot prosper when its people are told that safety ends at sunset. Economies grow because people can move freely, trade freely, and conduct lawful activities without fear,” Atiku said.

On the economy, Atiku accused Tinubu’s administration of being disconnected from the realities facing Nigerians.

He said rising food prices, worsening inflation, unemployment, and declining purchasing power have left millions of families struggling to survive.

“The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship,” Atiku said.

He criticised attempts by the presidency to blame the media for reporting on insecurity and economic challenges, noting that journalists were only reporting realities already being experienced by citizens.

“Blaming journalists for reporting insecurity and hardship is like blaming a thermometer for a fever,” Atiku said.

“Nigeria does not need explanations for suffering. Nigeria needs solutions. Nigeria does not need lectures about perception. Nigeria needs results.”

agulion:
Tinubu and most local yoruba Muslims organised violent protests against GEJ at OJota Lagos,

As far back as Jan 2020, our mummy Senator Oluremi Tinubu was already advocating for State Police to tackle Nigeria's insecurity.

Today, that vision is turning into reality as the constitutional amendment gains momentumpic.twitter.com/uXIUER6gjX

— Senior Pastor Okezie James Atañi (@Onsogbu) June 25, 2026

favor914:
No be today u people no get mind of una own, U are not ashamed to say that Tinubu deceived u 14 years ago to go & protest over petrol subsidy that he ended up removing when he became your president?

The same way u were deceived then, is still the same way that u are still being deceived today.

Omooba77:
A former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, said the protest that trailed the fuel subsidy removal during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 was due to political interests.

Fayemi said this in his keynote address delivered at a national dialogue organised to celebrate the 60th birthday celebration of the founding National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy and Fellow, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Professor Udenta Udenta in Abuja.

The programme was attended by Jonathan, former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, among others.

The PUNCH reports that on January 1, 2012, President Goodluck announced the removal of fuel subsidy and adjusted the pump price of petrol from N65 per litre to N141.

The decision sparked mass protests, tagged ‘Occupy Nigeria’ across major cities of the country.

The price was later re-adjusted to N97, after more than a week of protests.

Petrol price was later reduced to N87 in 2015.

Jonathan faced serious backlash for the fuel price adjustment, especially from leaders of the All Progressives Congress, who were then in different opposition parties, including the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Congress, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and All Progressive Grand Alliance.


https://punchng.com/breaking-fuel-subsidy-we-played-politics-with-2012-occupy-nigeria-fayemi/

agulion:
Tinubu and most local yoruba Muslims organised violent protests against GEJ at OJota Lagos,

Image123:
Are the sponsors and the bandits not Nigerians?

Where are the cows?

anonimi:
What group of politicians is more wicked than A-looter Propaganda Conmen, APC

https://x.com/BusinessDayNg/status/1554497253158658049

How we brought In Fulani militias from Mali, Sierra Leone, Senegal, others to win 2015 election — Kawu Baraje - mailchi.mp/businessday.ng…

Aug 2, 2022

anonimi:
The cows are in Bourdillon.
Do you think that they are inside the master strategists bullion vans or he has a big enough ranch for them in Ikoyi

Guestmale:
Yes Mr President should stop blaming media for reporting incidents of security breaches in Nigeria but Alhaji Atiku should also help Nigeria talk to his people to stop terrorism and banditry in the country because if there are no incidents there will be nothing for media to report.

anonimi:
How we foiled Jonathan’s effort to make Mulika Adeola Speaker, Akande reveals

AS president in 2011, Goodluck Jonathan did all he could to ensure South West grabbed the country’s number four seat, including lobbying then opposition leaders from the zone, to no avail. The North West eventually grabbed the seat, supported by South West leaders in opposition to then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Former Governor of Osun State and now statesman, Chief Bisi Akande, made this revelation in his autobiography, “My Participations” which is currently dominating political and national dis- course.

Aminu Tambuwal, now Sokoto State governor, won the seat, against the preferred pick of his party, Mrs Mulikat Adeola Akande, from the South-West. Defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, then a fledging opposition, which had Akande and his soulmate, former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, as front- line leaders, openly asked its elected members of the House of Representatives, mostly from the South-West, to work against their region and back Tambuwal from North-West.

The opposition party’s support carried Tambuwal through the contest against Akande, then ruling party’s favourite for the speakership seat.

In his book, Chief Akande revealed that former president then as incumbent, personally reached out to Tinubu, who is now believed to be nursing presidential aspiration in 2023 and himself, but couldn’t convince them.

He wrote, “President Jonathan, immediately after the meeting (with political parties), called Bola Tinubu aside into a lobby to broach the matter of ACN support for a choice of who would become the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“That same day, President Jonathan talked to me on phone about the same matter. He disclosed that PDP had zoned the position to the South-West but that only one Muraina and another Mulika won elections on PDP ticket from the zone into the House of Representatives.

https://tribuneonlineng.com/how-we-foiled-jonathans-effort-to-make-mulika-adeola-speaker-akande-reveals/

favor914:
No be today u people no get mind of una own, U are not ashamed to say that Tinubu deceived u 14 years ago to go & protest over petrol subsidy that he ended up removing when he became your president?

The same way u were deceived then, is still the same way that u are still being deceived today.

WorkTheTalk:
This is not the country our forefathers dreamt of. This is not the country our fathers said was for the youth. How long shall we continue in a system that has brought this giant of Africa on her knees?

Kemetian:
WE NOW HAVE STATE POLICE APPROVED, SO INSECURITY IS SEEING ITS LAST DAYS.

BE PATIENT AS THE VARIOUS STATE POLICE FORCES ARE ESTABLISHED NATIONWIDE.

NIGERIA WILL WIN THIS BATTLE.

THE GOVERNMENT IS BEING SINCERE IN ADVISING LIMITED TRAVEL AT NIGHT - FOR NOW.

IT DOESN'T MEAN IT EXPECTS INSECURITY FOREVER.

TINUBU HIMSELF HAS PUSHED HARDER FOR STATE POLICE FORCES THAN ANY PRESIDENT BEFORE HIM.

OF COURSE, BECAUSE WE ARE A DEMOCRACY, EVERY MAJOR POLICY CHANGE GOES THROUGH MONTHS AND EVEN YEARS OF DEBATE AMONG MULTPLE STAKEHOLDERS.

BUT TINUBU HAS FAST-TRACKED THE STATE POLICE ISSUE, HENCE THE APPROVAL OF THE BILL ESTABLISHING STATE POLICE EFFECTED YESTERDAY BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT LEGISLATION IN NIGERIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE.

IT'S NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR CRIMINALS IN THIS COUNTRY, SO THEY BETTER START LOOKING FOR OTHER WORK TO ENGAGE THEMSELVES WITH.

Federal police officers waving at bandits in Nigeria. 😆😆 pic.twitter.com/WHTR340P7K

— Victor Hezcon (@UStipend) June 25, 2026

Image123:
Evidence please, not bot behavior.

agulion:
Tinubu and most local yoruba Muslims organised violent protests against GEJ at OJota Lagos,

agulion:
Tinubu and most local yoruba Muslims organised violent protests against GEJ at OJota Lagos,