Nigeria Experiencing State Weaponization Of Poverty –Atiku

Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has charged that the current administration is intentionally using poverty as a weapon to oppress the Nigerian populace.

Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, May 31, at the 60th birthday lecture of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, themed “Weaponising Poverty in Nigeria,” Atiku claimed that the federal government is employing economic hardship as a political instrument.

“I want to say that what we are experiencing currently in Nigeria is state weaponisation of poverty,” Atiku stated. He reflected on his early years in Kano, once considered one of Nigeria’s most thriving regions, and compared it to the current reality where people now sleep under bridges and on the streets due to escalating poverty and insecurity.

He voiced concern over reports that a state agency in Kano, responsible for rehabilitating the homeless and vulnerable, was instructed to halt its operations after attempting to clear people from the streets. “They were called to a meeting and they were told to stop it,” Atiku said, describing the action as evidence of a broader strategy to maintain control through deprivation.

Atiku also discussed his support for opposition coalitions, stating, “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.”

Also addressing the event, Rotimi Amaechi connected the nation’s rising insecurity to worsening poverty, emphasizing that hunger and economic hardship cut across ethnic and religious lines.

“Hunger does not know tribe and religion, and the current government has made people more poorer which has increased the rate of insecurity and crime in the society,” Amaechi said.

He encouraged Nigerians to acknowledge their electoral authority and use it to oust leaders who fail to perform. “The power resides with the people, not the politicians,” he concluded.

The event provided a platform for renewed criticism of the government’s approach to economic challenges, with both speakers demanding accountability and systemic reform.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli