Tinubu’s addiction to loans, mortgaging Nigeria’s future says Atiku
By Tunde Opalana
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has carpeted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its penchant for foreign borrowing. He said the addiction is gradually mortgaging the future of Nigeria.
He said recent announcement by the Tinubu-led APC government to pursue fresh external and domestic loans is a reckless and dangerous move that threatens the future of Nigeria and generations yet unborn.
Atiku on Thursday in a statement he personally signed expressed worries that despite national outrage, the Tinubu administration is pushing ahead with plans to borrow $21.54 billion, €2.19 billion, and ¥15 billion — an equivalent of over $24 billion, which is more than 60% of Nigeria’s total foreign exchange reserves.
He said this borrowing spree will raise our total public debt from ₦144.7 trillion to a crushing ₦183 trillion at a time
Nigeria’s debt burden is already at alarming levels.
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“As of December 31, 2024, public debt stood at $94 billion (₦144.7 trillion).
“Since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, public debt has jumped by 65.6%.
“Under the APC-led administration since 2015, public debt has ballooned by 1,048%, from ₦12.6 trillion to ₦144.7 trillion
“The debt-to-GDP ratio has exceeded 50%.
“The debt-service-to-revenue ratio is over 130%, meaning the government now spends more on repaying loans than it earns
“This is not just unsustainable — it is immoral. The Tinubu administration is borrowing money not for development but to service existing loans, fueling a debt spiral that leaves nothing for infrastructure, education, healthcare, or jobs.
“This addiction to borrowing, entrenched under the APC-led administration and now accelerated by President Tinubu, has turned public finance into a Ponzi scheme — borrowing to pay debt, then borrowing again to pay interest. Nigeria is now caught in a vicious cycle that mortgages the future to pay for the past,” the statement read.
Warning that this is economic sabotage in plain sight, the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party demanded that “this reckless borrowing plan be halted immediately. We call on lawmakers, civil society organizations, the media, and the international community to take urgent action to stop this looming catastrophe.”
He said “Nigeria must not be sold into debt slavery.”
