Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched an attack on President Bola Tinubu’s recently unveiled ‘Nigeria First’ policy, calling it a deceptive public relations stunt lacking genuine commitment to local development.
In a fiery statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Tinubu-led administration of preaching economic patriotism while indulging in luxury foreign products and lifestyles. The ‘Nigeria First’ policy, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, aims to prioritize Nigerian-made goods and services in government procurement. But Atiku isn’t buying it.
“This is just another tired PR gimmick—designed to deceive, not deliver,” Atiku said, dismissing the policy as mere lip service without practical leadership.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) threw down the gauntlet, challenging President Tinubu to prove his patriotism by ditching his luxury foreign car. “We challenge President Tinubu to stop the noise and trade in his beloved Escalade for an Innoson, Nord, or any made-in-Nigeria vehicle,” Atiku declared, arguing that one symbolic action would speak louder than a thousand policy documents.
He didn’t stop there. Atiku called out federal cabinet members for their hypocrisy, accusing them of promoting Nigerian products in speeches while riding in Rolls Royce and other luxury brands. “Let’s see the ministers—those shameless Rolls Royce connoisseurs—sweat it out in Nigerian-made vehicles too. Or is ‘Nigeria First’ only for the suffering masses?”
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The former vice president also tore into the president’s frequent foreign trips and lavish vacations, branding them as blatant double standards. “If President Tinubu is serious about patriotism, his next holiday should be at Obudu Cattle Ranch, Yankari Game Reserve, or Erin Ijesha Waterfalls. Nigeria is beautiful—unless, of course, the president thinks otherwise,” he said.
Atiku didn’t mince words on the issue of medical tourism either. “The era of jetting off for medical check-ups while asking Nigerians to be self-reliant must end,” he warned. “We demand that Tinubu conduct all future medical visits at LUTH, National Hospital Abuja, UCH Ibadan, or the ₦41 billion Akwa Ibom specialist hospital built in Uyo. If these hospitals are good enough for the people, they should be good enough for their president.”
He concluded with a damning verdict on the administration’s leadership style: “This government’s addiction to foreign luxuries while demanding sacrifice from suffering Nigerians is the height of insincerity. True leadership is not about photo ops or sound bites—it’s about leading by example.”
Atiku’s fierce rebuttal has ignited widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians echoing his sentiments and calling for real action, not empty rhetoric.
