ABUJA, Nigeria – Former Vice President and prominent opposition leader, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has launched a sharp critique against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his decision to embark on a three-week trip to Europe amid pressing economic hardship, describing the move as a disturbing abdication of leadership during a period of national distress, his media office confirmed on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja, Atiku argued that while Nigeria may not be experiencing a formal constitutional crisis, the absence of proactive, hands-on governance at a time when citizens are battling severe inflation and cost-of-living pressures represents a critical void at the highest levels of power.
Okay News reports that the former Vice President’s reaction follows the departure of President Tinubu for a multi-week private and working stay in Europe, which coincided with the official foreign engagement of Vice President Kashim Shettima at the African Union Summit in Luanda, Angola.
Drawing a clear boundary between private citizens and state leaders, Atiku noted that while he has personally spent extensive time abroad, the obligations of a sitting Commander-in-Chief demand continuous presence and hands-on crisis management when the nation faces domestic headwinds.
“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind,” Atiku said. “Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week. And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe.”
The former Vice President questioned the judgment of leaving the country when key leadership structures are already extended abroad, emphasizing that true governance goes beyond holding formal office.
“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand. Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” Atiku stated.
Employing a vivid analogy, Atiku maintained that a responsible leader does not vacate the scene when critical domestic challenges require urgent executive resolution.
“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said. “That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher.”
Atiku lamented that millions of citizens are grounded by economic despair while executive leaders remain insulated from the everyday struggles of ordinary Nigerians, arguing that a government disconnected from public suffering cannot muster the political will to resolve it.
Concluding his statement with a direct policy contrast, the former Vice President declared: “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”
