Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s recent claim that prosperity is on the horizon and quality of life is improving in Nigeria, arguing the remarks reveal a disconnect between the government and the realities facing ordinary citizens.

In a statement from his aide Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the president’s optimism does not reflect the experience of market traders hit by inflation, civil servants whose salaries barely last the month, or families reducing daily meals to survive, arguing that while every administration inherits challenges, none is elected simply to explain history rather than change it. He said a government that continues blaming its predecessors after more than three years in office is effectively admitting it has run out of ideas, and argued that Nigeria’s current hardship stems from the administration’s own policy choices rather than the past.

Atiku also criticized the government for pointing to Nigeria’s population size as a source of difficulty, arguing that China became an economic power not by complaining about population but by transforming it into an asset through sustained investment in manufacturing and education, a model he pledged his own administration would follow. He said hope cannot be manufactured through speeches but must be earned through policies that deliver affordable food, stable electricity and security, urging the president to reconnect with the realities facing ordinary Nigerians beyond official briefings.