President Bola Tinubu has renewed his criticism of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over Nigeria’s privatisation programme, accusing one of his prospective political rivals of failing to settle pension obligations after overseeing the sale of public assets.
Speaking on Thursday while receiving a delegation of North-East stakeholders on a thank-you visit following the re-nomination of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Mr Tinubu said his administration was now bearing the burden of correcting what he described as the consequences of past economic decisions.
“Someone among my prospective opponents privatised government investments in public entities but forgot to pay the pension. I’m clearing the pensioners now, so clearing the mess they created,” the president said.
Although Mr Tinubu did not mention Mr Atiku by name, the remarks were widely interpreted as a reference to the former vice-president, who played a leading role in Nigeria’s privatisation programme during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The comments represent the latest exchange between the two political heavyweights as political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general election begins to gather momentum.
Mr Tinubu told the delegation that his government’s economic reforms, though challenging, were aimed at restoring stability, strengthening public finances and improving the welfare of Nigerians. He maintained that difficult policy decisions were necessary to place the country on a sustainable path.
Mr Atiku, who has consistently defended the privatisation programme as a policy designed to improve efficiency, encourage private sector investment and reduce the government’s financial burden, has yet to publicly respond to the president’s latest remarks.
