Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and leader of opposition in Nigeria has responded to a glowing speech delivered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the occasion of the country’s 65th anniversary, saying ‘pot is not only empty but cracked – and the people remain hungry.’
Tinubu had earlier in the day spoke of ‘turning the corner,’ of laying foundations ‘in concrete and not on quicksand,’ and of supposed victories in education, healthcare, the economy, and national security.
Responding to the Independence Day presidential speech, Atiku, through a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shuaibu, said: ‘The yam may be plentiful, but if the pot is empty, the stomach still rumbles.’
According to Shuaibu, the president cited the multiplication of schools since 1960, but in many places, pupils still sit on bare floors and write in dust, while teachers abandon classrooms because their salaries cannot buy food.
‘He boasted of more hospitals, but our mothers and fathers still carry candles, syringes, and drugs into wards before treatment can begin. ‘A man who builds many huts without roofs has only built shade for goats.’
On the economy, the statement said: ‘we were told of bold reforms. But Nigerians know the pain in their pockets. Food prices are higher than the rooftops, transport has swallowed incomes, and many families now eat less than one meal a day. If these are the ‘seeds’ of reform, then the fruit is still bitter. ‘When the roof is on fire, it is folly to declare the rain has quenched it.’
On security, Atiku’s statement remarked that Tinubu saluted the courage of armed forces and declared victories over terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, but ‘Nigerians still sleep with one eye open, and families still pay ransom as if it were the daily price of garri.
‘Villages continue to bury their dead. Most tragically, just this week, we lost Somtochukwu, a young female news anchor with Arise TV, killed in a robbery attack in the early hours of Monday. Her death is a painful reminder that no one – not even the voices that bring us the news – is safe in today’s Nigeria. ‘A farmer cannot boast the bush is cleared while weeds still choke his yam.’
Continuing, the statement said: ‘We were told that billions have been disbursed to poor households. Nigerians ask simply: where? ‘If the yam was truly cooked, neighbours would perceive the aroma.’ Across the land, poverty still walks naked, and hunger knocks daily, yet the government sings of generosity that citizens cannot see or feel.
‘Our young people, the supposed ‘future,’ are promised wings to fly. But many graduates hawk sachet water or ride okada to survive. ‘You cannot tell a child to dream big while you steal the mat he sleeps on.’ Nigerian youth need real opportunities, not more applause lines.
‘Yes, 65 years is a long time. We have endured civil war, dictatorships, and crises. Nigerians are resilient – that much is true. But resilience must not be mistaken for endorsement. Our founding fathers dreamed of a land flowing with justice and opportunity. Today, the riverbed is dry for many, and only a privileged few fetch from the little water left.
‘A masquerade does not clap for itself; it is the crowd that cheers when the steps are sweet. Nigerians are not clapping, because the music they hear is hunger, insecurity, and despair. Statistics do not fill cooking pots, and PowerPoint slides do not light up homes.’
The former Vice President believed that as the country marks 65 years of independence, ‘the true measure of progress is not in the number of universities or the percentage of coal mined. It is in whether Nigerians have food on their tables, whether our children are truly learning, whether our hospitals heal the sick, and whether people can sleep safely in their homes.
‘Independence anniversaries are moments of sober reflection, not self-praise. If truly this administration is laying foundations, then let those foundations be seen and felt in working schools, in affordable food, in reliable power, and in secured communities. Let mothers in the market and fathers on the farm testify – not just politicians at the podium.
‘Nigeria is 65 years old. But our leaders still serve promises as though they were meals. The yam is there, but the pot remains empty.’