Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has criticized the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government for failing to resolve questions about the October 20, 2020, Lekki shooting and for the country’s rising cost of living.
In a post on his X handle on Tuesday, Atiku said that six years after the incident, Nigerians were still waiting for accountability over the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
“Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order?” the former vice president asked.
He also condemned President Bola Tinubu’s response to the incident in October 2020, when he questioned the presence and conduct of protesters who suffered casualties during the shooting.
Atiku stated that the response appeared to focus on questioning the victims rather than demanding accountability for the violence against peaceful protesters.
He noted that the public outrage over the incident mirrored enduring grief and mistrust, especially among young Nigerians who had called for justice and accountability.
“The APC has governed Nigeria through these six years. It cannot keep asking Nigerians to remember the dead while refusing to confront the unanswered questions,” Atiku said.
He went on to say that any government that did not reassure citizens that their lives mattered had failed in one of its core duties.
Atiku further tied the unresolved questions surrounding the Lekki shooting to the economic hardships young Nigerians face, pointing to rising petrol prices, weakening purchasing power, and fewer opportunities.
According to him, petrol at ₦1,405 per liter has made it harder and harder for Nigerians to afford transport, food, education, and housing.
“The APC promised renewal. For too many Nigerians, the experience has been rising costs, shrinking opportunity, and a future pushed further out of reach,” he said.
Atiku demonstrated the effects of the economic situation by recounting the story of a young woman who, he said, left her job because her salary was no longer enough to cover her transportation expenses.
He quoted the woman as saying, “The pay no longer covers transport. Everything in Nigeria just increases in price. Feels like I’m working for Bolt, guys.”
Atiku described the situation as proof of the pressure on workers, saying some employed Nigerians could no longer afford the cost of keeping their jobs.
He said his proposed Economic Recovery Plan was intended to make Nigeria more affordable through measures such as support linked to domestically refined fuel, higher local production, protection for minimum-wage earners, student support, and cuts to government waste.
Atiku said young Nigerians deserved both the truth about the Lekki shooting and an economy in which employment could offer a decent standard of living.
“Young Nigerians deserve the truth about Lekki. They deserve a government that protects life and an economy that gives work a chance to lead somewhere,” he said.
He added that Nigerians had the right to question the government over what he called the lack of answers on the shooting and the limited economic opportunities open to young people.
