Former Nigerian Vice-President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described 2025 as one of the most punishing years in Nigeria’s recent history, attributing widespread hardship to the policies and leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
In a New Year message to Nigerians, Atiku highlighted the struggles citizens faced across the country, including economic difficulties, insecurity, and governance challenges under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“For millions of long-suffering Nigerians, the only consolation is that 2025, one of the most punishing years in our recent history, has come to an end. It was a year defined by economic suffocation, political recklessness, and governance without empathy under the APC administration,” he said.
Atiku criticized the government’s budget management and borrowing policies, describing them as reckless and economically destabilizing.
“The past year exposed, in stark terms, the incompetence and policy bankruptcy of President Bola Tinubu. Governing for months without a functional budget, the administration relied on propaganda while borrowing recklessly, pushing the nation to the brink of economic collapse,” he added.
He also condemned the handling of a tax law, labeling it an example of administrative irregularity.
“Nothing better captures the decay of this government than the scandal of a forged tax law, shamelessly branded a ‘reform.’ Even more disturbing was the President’s refusal to allow due legislative and legal processes to address what is clearly a criminal act. A government that begins reform with forgery cannot end with prosperity,” Atiku said.
On democracy, the former vice-president argued that the APC contributed to the weakening of democratic institutions.
“In the same year, Nigeria’s democratic foundations were deliberately weakened, as the APC worked systematically to deform our multiparty democracy into a de facto one-party state through coercion, intimidation, and state capture,” he said.
Regarding security and economic performance, Atiku highlighted rising debt and crime rates.
“While drowning the nation in debt, the government falsely claimed to have met revenue targets. Meanwhile, insecurity worsened dramatically. Kidnappings, abductions, and violent crimes surged, affecting citizens young and old alike,” he said.
He emphasized the human cost of these developments, noting, “Lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and communities terrorized, while government assurances rang hollow.”
Atiku concluded by acknowledging the resilience of Nigerians despite these challenges.
“Despite these failures, compounded by the appointment of undistinguished and unfit individuals to represent Nigeria abroad, the country survived, not because of government competence, but because of the resilience of its people,” he said.
Ifeoluwa Okonkwo ✔
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