Tinubu’s Independence Speech Draws Opposition Fire

…Atiku, Obi Accuse FG of Self-Praise Amid Poverty, Insecurity and Growing Hunger

By John Paul

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast has drawn fierce criticism from opposition leaders, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi accusing the administration of indulging in self-congratulation while Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair. Both men, in separate but strikingly aligned statements, painted a portrait of a nation adrift, where the hopes of independence have been squandered by decades of poor governance, now compounded by what they see as the failures of the APC-led government.

Atiku, in a strongly worded statement issued through his aide Phrank Shaibu, dismissed Tinubu’s speech as hollow self-praise disconnected from the reality of ordinary Nigerians. Employing a metaphor that has since gone viral, he declared: “The yam may be plentiful, but if the pot is empty, the stomach still rumbles. Today, Nigeria’s pot is not only empty but cracked — and the people remain hungry.” He argued that the administration’s boasts on education, health, security, and the economy rang false in the face of crumbling schools, dilapidated hospitals, and households crushed by inflation. “A man who builds many huts without roofs has only built shade for goats,” he said, deriding government claims of improved access to education when teachers remain poorly paid and classrooms unfit for learning.

On healthcare, Atiku lamented that patients still have to bring candles, syringes, and basic supplies before treatment, asking how a government that forces families into such indignity can boast of modern hospitals. On the economy, his verdict was stinging: food prices have skyrocketed, transport fares consumed meagre wages, and hunger now defines the daily lives of millions. “If these are the seeds of reform, the fruit is bitter. When the roof is on fire, it is folly to declare the rain has quenched it,” he warned. He also poured scorn on Tinubu’s claims of victory over insecurity, citing the recent killing of Arise News anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu as proof that no one is safe. “A farmer cannot boast the bush is cleared while weeds still choke his yam,” he said pointedly.

Peter Obi, in his Independence Day address, echoed Atiku’s concerns but broadened them with a historical sweep, arguing that Nigeria’s tragedy lies not only in present failures but also in a pattern of squandered opportunities stretching back decades. He recalled that at independence in 1960, Nigeria’s founding fathers set out with passion and determination to build a prosperous nation that would stand among the world’s leading economies. International observers, including Time Magazine, predicted Nigeria’s rise as Africa’s superpower. That promise, Obi said, has been derailed by successive leadership failures. “Those visions have been betrayed by leadership that enriches a few and impoverishes the many,” he declared.

Obi contrasted the country’s current woes with past moments of progress. By 2007, following debt forgiveness secured under President Obasanjo, Nigeria’s total debt stood at just ₦2.5 trillion, barely 10 percent of GDP. By 2014, the country had risen to become Africa’s largest economy, well-positioned to achieve middle-income status. And in 2015, Nigerians achieved a democratic milestone when, for the first time, a ruling party was peacefully defeated in a presidential election. But today, Obi said, those gains have evaporated. “Our debt now stands at about ₦175 trillion, nearly 50 percent of GDP, without any improvement in productive sectors. Nigeria has fallen to the fourth-largest economy in Africa, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria. Our democracy is now described as ‘undemocratic,’” he lamented.

The former Anambra governor’s message on poverty was equally stark. He noted that under Tinubu, 15 million more Nigerians have slipped into acute poverty, while more than 150 million citizens continue to lack access to basic healthcare, education, clean water, and sanitation. “This number grows daily under an APC government that pursues brutal revenue-driven policies while ignoring the welfare of its people,” Obi warned. “Nigeria now ranks among the lowest in the world on human development indicators.”

Atiku and Obi both accused Tinubu’s government of prioritising image over substance, with Atiku questioning the administration’s much-publicised cash transfers, asking, “If the yam was truly cooked, neighbours would perceive the aroma.” For Obi, the issue was broader: reckless borrowings, punitive taxes, and wasteful governance, which he said were driving Nigeria into a deeper hole. “Our leaders still serve promises as though they were meals,” Atiku wrote, while Obi added that “Nigeria too can rebound, but only if we exit the path of incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility.”

Despite their bleak assessments, both men spoke of hope. Atiku urged Tinubu to abandon propaganda and focus on measurable improvements in security and welfare. “The true measure of progress is whether Nigerians have food on their tables and safety in their homes,” he insisted. Obi, for his part, argued that Nigeria’s natural wealth and human capital could still drive a turnaround if managed with discipline and compassion. He urged investment in infrastructure, human capital, and prudent economic management. “We must mobilise our enormous natural resources to drastically reduce poverty and achieve rapid, sustained growth,” he said. “We should learn from nations like China, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, which have turned around their economies through disciplined leadership and people-centred policies.”