Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described 2025 as one of the most difficult and punishing years in Nigeria’s recent history.
He blamed this on economic hardship, worsening insecurity, and what he called governance without empathy under the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Atiku stated this in his New Year message to Nigerians as the country ushers in 2026.
According to him, while the year has ended, millions of Nigerians remain burdened by hunger, unemployment, business closures, and insecurity, warning that these challenges reflect deep policy and governance failures.
The former Vice President, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, said Nigerians endured the year not because of government competence, but because of their resilience.
What Atiku is saying
Atiku accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of economic mismanagement, political recklessness, and policy inconsistency throughout 2025.
“For millions of long-suffering Nigerians, the only consolation is that 2025, one of the most punishing years in our recent history, has come to an end.
“It was a year defined by economic suffocation, political recklessness, and governance without empathy under the All Progressives Congress administration,” he said.
He alleged that the Tinubu administration governed for months without a functional budget, relied heavily on borrowing, and masked economic distress with propaganda, pushing the country toward what he described as the brink of economic collapse.
- According to him, unemployment, underemployment, labour unrest, and the collapse of small businesses defined the year, despite repeated assurances of economic recovery.
- He said industries shut down, workers lost their jobs, and hunger became widespread, while citizens were repeatedly asked to “make sacrifices.”
Tax law controversy and rule of law concerns
Atiku pointed to the controversy surrounding the alleged alteration of Nigeria’s tax laws as emblematic of what he described as the decay in governance.
He described the episode as a “forged tax law” branded as reform, criticising the President’s refusal to allow due legislative and legal processes to address the matter.
“A government that begins reform with forgery cannot end with prosperity,” Atiku said, warning that disregard for due process undermines economic confidence and democratic stability.
The tax law controversy has sparked debates within the National Assembly and among policy experts, with concerns raised about discrepancies between bills passed by lawmakers and the versions later gazetted.
Insecurity, debt, and governance
Atiku said insecurity worsened significantly in 2025, with kidnappings, abductions, and violent crimes affecting communities across the country.
- He noted that lives were lost and livelihoods destroyed while government assurances failed to translate into improved security outcomes.
- He also criticised rising public debt, arguing that the government claimed to have met revenue targets while borrowing heavily, leaving future generations with mounting fiscal burdens.
- The former Vice President accused the APC of weakening Nigeria’s democratic foundations by intimidating opposition voices and attempting to turn the country into a de facto one-party state.
Call for unity and civic action
Despite his criticisms, Atiku urged Nigerians not to surrender to despair in 2026.
He called on citizens to reject divisions along ethnic or religious lines, arguing that such divisions only benefit those in power while ordinary Nigerians suffer.
According to him, democracy still offers Nigerians the opportunity to change a failing government peacefully through the ballot box.
“These hardships must become the fuel for national awakening,” he said.
What you should know
Atiku’s New Year message contrasts with President Bola Tinubu’s message, where he highlighted the government’s achievements in 2025.
According to Tinubu’s New Year message, Nigeria closed 2025 on a strong note, recording robust quarterly GDP growth, with annualised growth expected to exceed four per cent.
“Despite the policies to fight inflation, Nigeria recorded a robust GDP growth each quarter. We maintained trade surpluses and achieved greater exchange rate stability,” he said.
Tinubu also highlighted the performance of the capital market, noting that the Nigerian Stock Exchange posted a 48.12 per cent gain in 2025, extending a bullish run that began in the second half of 2023.
