President Bola Tinubu has taken a swipe at African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, accusing the former vice president of leaving behind unpaid pension liabilities after overseeing the privatisation of government-owned enterprises during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Tinubu said his administration is now clearing the backlog created during that period, adding that Nigerians are demanding economic stability and improved social welfare rather than excessive promises.
Speaking on Friday during a meeting with members of the Nigerian Diaspora Medical Association and Northeast stakeholders who endorsed Vice President Kashim Shettima for renomination, Tinubu also reflected on his years in the United States and why he chose to return to Nigeria.
“There is nowhere like home. I have experienced being in America and have taken the best of America in my chosen profession, accountancy and finance. Where can I apply it best after initial training with Deloitte & Touche, I can’t forget the Standard Oil Building in Chicago and my first week there,” he said.
The President stressed the need for unity in tackling insecurity, saying, “The leadership of the Northeast is challenged because of terrorism and banditry, I could see a collaboration that would work together. Only we stick together, work together, and face the challenges the best way possible as a united country.”
Turning to politics, Tinubu accused Atiku of failing to address pension obligations after leading Nigeria’s privatisation programme as chairman of the National Council on Privatisation between 1999 and 2007.
“The olden age is here now if you can stabilize the economy, Nigerians are not asking for too much, simple stability and social welfare, if I can go political, somebody among my prospective opponents privatized government investment in public entities but forgot to pay the pension. I’m clearing the pensioners now, so clearing the mess they created,” Tinubu said.
Atiku chaired the National Council on Privatisation during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, overseeing the sale and liquidation of more than 100 government-owned enterprises, including Nigeria Airways and NITEL. The exercise led to thousands of workers leaving the affected organisations, with many pension and severance obligations remaining unpaid for years and becoming liabilities inherited by subsequent administrations.
Tinubu’s latest remarks come amid renewed political exchanges between the Presidency and Atiku’s camp over the President’s decades-old civil forfeiture case in the United States.
Earlier on Friday, Atiku’s Special Adviser on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, challenged the Presidency to release evidence instead of issuing public statements in defence of Tinubu. Addressing Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga in a post on X, Shaibu wrote, “Good morning, @aonanuga1956. You know I have too much respect for my elders to put them through unnecessary stress. So, abeg, kindly advise Baba to just publish the evidence everyone is asking for. It will save you from having to explain what documents can explain better.”
He added, “With all due respect, this one is not a war of adjectives. It’s a contest of evidence. And, sir… I’m not sure you have the energy for the battle ahead.”
The exchange followed Onanuga’s claim that Atiku spent $1.2 million on American lobbyists to revive Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case. The Presidency has maintained that the matter was resolved more than three decades ago and insists the President remains focused on governance despite the renewed controversy.