Atiku Criticises APC Over Lekki Shooting, Petrol Price of ₦1,405
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government over unresolved questions surrounding the October 20, 2020 Lekki shooting and the rising cost of living. In a post on his X handle on Tuesday, Atiku asked who ordered the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, arguing that Nigerians were still waiting for accountability six years after the incident. He also faulted President Bola Tinubu’s response to the shooting in 2020, saying it appeared to question the protesters’ presence and conduct rather than focus on accountability for the violence. Atiku said the incident continued to fuel grief and distrust, particularly among young Nigerians who had demanded justice. He accused the APC of failing to provide satisfactory answers and said governments had a fundamental responsibility to protect citizens’ lives.
Atiku also linked the unresolved questions surrounding the shooting to the economic difficulties confronting young Nigerians, citing rising petrol prices, declining purchasing power and limited job opportunities. He said petrol selling at ₦1,405 per litre was making transportation, food, education and housing increasingly difficult to afford. To illustrate the pressure on workers, he recounted the experience of a young woman who allegedly resigned because her salary could no longer cover transportation costs. Atiku said his proposed Economic Recovery Plan would seek to improve affordability through support linked to domestically refined fuel, increased local production, protection for minimum-wage earners, student assistance and reduced government waste. He maintained that young Nigerians deserved both accountability over the Lekki shooting and an economy in which employment could provide a decent standard of living.
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