Atiku Challenges Presidency Defence Of Tinubu Economy Claims

Atiku Abubakar has pushed back against the Presidency’s defence of President Bola Tinubu’s economic record, saying official figures do not match the hardship many households face.

The exchange is a new turn in the argument over Tinubu’s reforms. In an earlier NaijaTrend report here, Atiku faulted the government’s economic scorecard. The latest response adds claims about poverty, food insecurity, borrowing and crude-backed financing.

Punch reported that Atiku, through his media aide Phrank Shaibu, rejected the Presidency’s argument that critics were relying on old data. He said Nigerians were still living with the effects of policies introduced in 2024, including high living costs and pressure on businesses.

Atiku also cited International Monetary Fund figures, saying 63 per cent of Nigerians were below the national poverty line and about 27 million people faced food insecurity in late 2025. He argued that growth numbers and debt ratios meant little if they did not translate into food, jobs and better living standards.

Vanguard reported a second part of Atiku’s criticism, focused on crude oil earnings. He accused the Tinubu administration of tying future oil revenue to financing arrangements and demanded public disclosure of who approved the deals, how many barrels were pledged, repayment terms, proceeds received and projects funded.

Premium Times carried the Presidency’s reply, attributed to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. The statement said Atiku’s criticism relied on 2024-era data and ignored later economic indicators. It said dollar-denominated GDP had recovered from about $253bn after the exchange-rate reset to about $377bn, while nominal GDP had risen from about N314tn in 2024 to around N530tn.

The Presidency said reforms should be judged as a process, not only by their most painful phase. Atiku’s camp said the test should be whether ordinary Nigerians feel relief in their daily lives.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard, Premium Times