The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has blamed the loss of 5,091 Nigerian lives in three months on how the Federal Government spends money meant for security, not just on armed attackers.
He made the claim on Sunday in a statement sent out by his aide, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku said money set aside to protect Nigerians is being wasted, leaving soldiers without the tools they need to fight terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
Squandering attacked
Atiku said budgets meant for the military and other security agencies are often padded or poorly used, and that this failure shows up on the battlefield.
“These figures are the human cost of every padded budget, every frivolous expenditure and every failure to fully implement funds appropriated for critical national priorities,” he said.
He said government cannot treat public money carelessly and still expect soldiers to succeed.
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“You cannot run the public treasury as though it were a private purse, squander scarce resources on questionable priorities and then expect soldiers and other security personnel on the frontlines to perform miracles,” he said.
Atiku said spending public money on projects that serve political interests, instead of urgent national needs, weakens the ability of the Armed Forces to act fast when trouble starts.
He said soldiers need more than a pay rise to do their job well. The government recently raised salaries for military personnel, and Atiku said this was welcome, but not enough on its own.
“Our soldiers deserve better pay, but morale is about much more than salaries,” he said. “They require adequate equipment, operational funding, timely allowances, proper welfare for their families and the assurance that the government they defend is as committed to their mission as they are.”
He asked the Federal Government to cut wasteful spending and do a better job of releasing money already approved for defence and security, so troops on the ground actually receive what they need.
5,091 lives lost in three months
Atiku said the killing of 5,091 Nigerians within three months should not be seen as just another number in a report. He said each death represents a real person and a grieving family.
“Behind every number is a Nigerian whose life was cut short, a family thrown into mourning, children deprived of parents and communities condemned to fear,” he said.
“Five thousand and ninety-one reported killings in just three months should trouble the conscience of any government.”
He said the continued killings raise serious questions about whether the government can carry out its most basic duty, which is to protect the people who live in Nigeria.
“A government that cannot protect its citizens has failed the first test of governance. Nigerians cannot continue to pay with their lives for the failures, waste and misplaced priorities of an administration that has failed in its most basic constitutional duty.”
Atiku said the victims were not just figures on a page, but people with families and roles in their communities.
“Every Nigerian needlessly lost to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes represents a failure of the state,” he said.
“They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, breadwinners and citizens who had every right to expect protection from their government.”
He gave a warning to the government, tying the deaths directly to its record in office.
“Today, we have 5,091 reported killings in just three months, 5,091 shattered families, 5,091 indictments of this administration’s security failures, and ultimately, 5,091 reasons this government must go,” he said.
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