Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has called on the government to provide accountability over the October 2020 shooting at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos and criticised its handling of the country's economic crisis. In a post on social media on Tuesday, Atiku said that six years after the incident, in which protesters during the EndSARS demonstrations were shot, Nigerians were still awaiting clear answers about who ordered the violence. He questioned the government's response at the time, saying it appeared to focus on questioning the victims rather than demanding accountability for the shooting of peaceful protesters.
Atiku said the unresolved questions about the Lekki incident reflected lingering grief and distrust among young Nigerians who had demanded justice. He noted that the All Progressives Congress, which has governed Nigeria throughout these six years, could not continue to ask citizens to remember the dead while refusing to address the unanswered questions. He argued that a government failing to assure citizens that their lives mattered had neglected a fundamental responsibility.
The opposition leader linked the economic difficulties facing young Nigerians to the broader failure of governance. He cited petrol selling at 1,405 naira per litre as a primary driver of hardship, making it increasingly difficult for Nigerians to afford transportation, food, education and housing. Atiku illustrated the severity of the situation with an account of a young woman who resigned from her job because her salary no longer covered her transportation costs. She reportedly said the pay did not cover transport and that prices across Nigeria continued to rise.
Atiku argued that some employed Nigerians could no longer afford the cost of keeping their jobs, describing this as evidence of pressure on workers. He said the ruling party had promised renewal, but for many Nigerians the experience had been rising costs, shrinking opportunity and a future pushed further out of reach. Young Nigerians, he added, deserved both the truth about the Lekki shooting and an economy in which employment could provide a decent standard of living.
Atiku presented his Economic Recovery Plan as an alternative, saying it was designed to make Nigeria more affordable through support tied to domestically refined fuel, increased local production, protection for minimum-wage earners, student support and reductions in government waste. He concluded that Nigerians had the right to question the government over the lack of answers on the shooting and the limited economic opportunities available to young people.