THE DECLUTTER GUY

BOLA AND EBOLA: WHERE DID THE ₦10 BILLION GO? — ATIKU Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Tinubu administration’s failure to account for the ₦10 billion approved for Ebola preparedness, saying the confirmed case in Abuja has exposed a dangerous breakdown in the government’s response. He also warned against using the outbreak to suppress political activity and discourage Nigerians from voting. In a statement by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said: “Ebola is a grave public health threat. Nigerians deserve urgent action, competent leadership and the truth. Instead, the first confirmed case in Abuja has exposed unanswered questions about preparedness, surveillance and the protection of health workers. Tinubu must account for the ₦10 billion he said would be released immediately in June. “Where is the money? Publish the amount actually disbursed, the dates of payment, every contract awarded, every recipient and every item delivered. If the money was not released, Tinubu must explain why he announced emergency funding that never reached the people responsible for protecting Nigerians. A press statement cannot replace an audit. “The timeline is damning. The patient arrived in Nigeria on October 5, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought care at a private hospital on October 11. The government did not confirm the case publicly until October 20, nine days after she sought care. During that critical period, 44 close contacts were left unmonitored, while private health workers faced the case without adequate protective equipment. This is a failure of preparedness with potentially grave consequences. “The government must disclose what happened at every stage. What travel history and exposure screening were conducted? What follow-up began when the patient developed symptoms? When were the 44 contacts first reached and monitored? Why were frontline staff left without the protection they needed? Nigerians deserve answers, and those responsible for these failures must be held accountable. “In June, Tinubu announced a Presidential Task Force chaired by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Today, Nigerians must ask whether political appointees have been allowed to overshadow the medical experts who should lead this response. The NCDC, epidemiologists, doctors and public health professionals must be in charge, with the authority and resources to act. Political titles cannot trace contacts, equip hospitals or save lives. “Nigerians are already battling the economic hardship created by Tinubu’s policies. Now the government’s failure to prepare and respond threatens to deepen public anxiety and disrupt movement, livelihoods and economic activity. The people must not pay twice for the same failure: first through hardship, then through a bungled emergency response. Both caused by Bola. “I am also alarmed by confirmed information that the Minister of Health’s press conference tomorrow is intended to discourage Nigerians from attending campaign rallies and, ultimately, from voting. It is ridiculous that the same Minister of Health, whose entire ministry was funded with N35 million disbursement in 2025 appropriation and was not involved in the Ebola prevention programme is now being promoted to make health emergency announcements.

SIX YEARS AFTER LEKKI, THE APC STILL OWES NIGERIANS ANSWERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE A FUTURE. Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order? Let us also not forget that in October 2020, Bola Tinubu, rather than demonstrating the empathy and compassion the tragedy demanded, suggested that those who suffered casualties during the shooting had questions to answer. He asked: “How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?” At a moment when Nigerians were demanding accountability for the violence against peaceful protesters, his response appeared more concerned with questioning the victims than demanding answers from those responsible. The anger trending across the country today is not a social media performance. It is grief that has been left to harden into distrust. It is the pain of families still demanding answers, and of young people who watched their calls for dignity meet violence and then watched the country move on without the truth they deserve. 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. A government that cannot give citizens confidence that their lives matter has failed one of its most basic duties. And the hardship young people face today deepens that betrayal. Petrol at ₦1,405 a litre means more than an expensive journey. It means less money for food, school, rent and work. It means a young person can do everything asked of them and still find the door to a decent life shut in their face. The APC promised renewal. For too many Nigerians, the experience has been rising costs, shrinking opportunity and a future pushed further out of reach. No speech about growth can excuse empty pockets. No anniversary tribute can replace justice. No campaign slogan can erase six years of unanswered questions. Just this morning, one of my aides told me about a young woman who was forced to resign from her job this month because her salary could no longer cover the cost of getting to work. Her words were as heartbreaking as they were revealing: “The pay no longer covers transport. Everything in Nigeria just dey increase in price. Feels like I'm working for Bolt guys.” Imagine that: a Nigerian who has secured employment, yet can no longer afford to remain employed. This is the cruel reality of an economy in which even those fortunate enough to have jobs are being priced out of earning a living. The policies of this government are stifling not only the unemployed but also hardworking Nigerians whose salaries have become increasingly worthless in the face of rising costs. This is precisely the hardship my Economic Recovery Plan is designed to address, with one overriding objective: to Make Nigeria Affordable Again. My policy response is built around relief people can feel: support tied to fuel refined in Nigeria, with the savings passed on to consumers; more local production to create jobs; protection for minimum wage earners and student support; and funding these measures by cutting waste instead of imposing new taxes. 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. Six years on, the APC has had ample time to answer for its record. Nigerians are entitled to ask why the answers and the opportunities are still missing. #LekkiMassacre -AA