Atiku: Scandals Have Become Hallmark of Tinubu’s Govt

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Tinubu administration of dragging Nigeria to a dangerous point where scandals are no longer viewed as isolated incidents but “recurring features of governance”. In a statement, Atiku said there is an old African saying that when a man’s roof leaks every rainy season, neighbours stop blaming the […]

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Tinubu administration of dragging Nigeria to a dangerous point where scandals are no longer viewed as isolated incidents but “recurring features of governance”.

In a statement, Atiku said there is an old African saying that when a man’s roof leaks every rainy season, neighbours stop blaming the clouds and begin to question the strength of the house itself.

“Nigeria has sadly arrived at that point. The issue is no longer one scandal or another. The issue is the pattern. And when scandals become a pattern of governance, the inevitable conclusion is this: you are no longer managing scandals; you have become the scandal itself,” he said in a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

According to the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is not merely another embarrassment for the government but the latest chapter in an ever-expanding book of scandals that have come to define the Tinubu administration.

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The Waziri Adamawa noted that what should concern Nigerians is not merely the frequency of these scandals, but the disturbing pattern that follows them: allegations emerge, committees are hurriedly assembled, promises of accountability are made, headlines are generated, and then, gradually, silence descends.

He recalled the suspension of Betta Edu, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, over allegations of financial impropriety, adding, “Investigations were announced, recoveries publicised and assurances given. Yet Nigerians are still waiting for a comprehensive public account of what transpired, who was held responsible and what institutional safeguards were erected to prevent a recurrence.”

Atiku also noted that persistent questions surrounding transparency and financial disclosures within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have similarly remained unresolved despite repeated calls for greater openness and institutional accountability.

The former Vice President said the PFIPC affair did not emerge in a vacuum but belongs to a troubling sequence of controversies that have cast long shadows over the present administration.

“From unresolved questions surrounding the Humanitarian Affairs scandal; to allegations of crude oil theft and illegal tanker releases that faded without publicly released investigative reports; from concerns raised over alleged discrepancies in the 2024 budget and the absence of a comprehensive forensic explanation; to the billions reportedly expended on refinery rehabilitation while public refineries remain largely dysfunctional; from procurement controversies involving major infrastructure projects to recurring concerns over opaque contract awards, missing procurement records and appointments of persons linked to unresolved allegations, Nigerians have watched a familiar and deeply troubling pattern unfold.

“The pattern itself has become the scandal. When allegations involve ordinary citizens or politically expendable officials, the machinery of government appears to move with astonishing speed. But when questions drift dangerously close to the corridors of power or involve individuals perceived to enjoy political protection, investigations slow to a crawl, independent scrutiny gives way to internal administrative reviews, public updates disappear and accountability quietly evaporates.

“This selective application of justice is corrosive to public confidence because it creates the dangerous impression that there are two systems of accountability in Nigeria: one for the powerful and another for everyone else.

“A democracy is not measured by how quickly it moves past controversy. It is measured by how honestly it confronts it.

“Nations do not lose public trust overnight. They lose it gradually—each time difficult questions are postponed, each time reports remain unpublished, each time accountability appears incomplete and each time citizens are left to fill the silence with speculation.”

The Waziri said it is pathetic that millions of Nigerians continue to endure the crushing hardship imposed by the government’s so-called “reforms,” while those entrusted with managing the nation’s resources appear to be presiding over an unprecedented wave of corruption.

Atiku further stated that this moment also presents the President with an opportunity to address other longstanding public controversies that have lingered in the national consciousness.

“And to President Tinubu, Nigerians are increasingly asking a simple but profound question: if every road of controversy leads back to your doorstep, then who, indeed, is the scandal?”