- Odibo Victory
The 2027 Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over the rising cost of living in Nigeria, saying the situation is pushing young Nigerians into desperate measures, including selling their kidneys.
Atiku expressed his displeasure in a post on X following a stakeholders’ engagement on Friday, where he spoke about the worsening cost-of-living crisis and rising poverty in Nigeria.
“One of the serious challenges we are facing in Nigeria is cost of living, which is on the rise and really causing poverty we have not seen before,” he said.
He said the primary responsibility of any government was to ensure the security and welfare of its citizens, including making the cost of living affordable.
“The primary responsibility of any government is the security and welfare of its citizens and by making sure cost of living is low, affordable, no poverty as much as possible,” he said.
Atiku, however, said the current situation in Nigeria was a reversal of what the government should be providing for its citizens.
“But that is not what we are witnessing today in Nigeria, the reverse is the case,” he said.
He further alleged that the worsening economic hardship, unemployment and insecurity had driven some young Nigerians to sell their organs to survive.
“To the extent that young men and women like you are selling their organs simply because of poverty, lack of jobs and insecurity that these government have come to impose on Nigerians,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President said he had seen photographs of young Nigerians who had undergone operations to have their kidneys removed.
“I have photos of young men like you who you would see on one side of their tummy, an operation and their kidneys removed,” he said.
Expressing sadness over the development, Atiku said, “It is heartbreaking that our poverty has reached that level.”
In the statement accompanying his post on X, Atiku said young Nigerians should be pursuing opportunities rather than being forced into selling their body organs.
“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” he said.
He said the rising cost of basic necessities was worsening the desperation among Nigerians, listing food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity among items that had become increasingly expensive.
“Yet young Nigerians are reportedly being driven to sell their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million. That should break the heart of a nation,” he said.
Atiku said the reported development went beyond ordinary economic hardship, arguing that it represented extreme desperation among young Nigerians.
“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship.
“We are talking about desperation at its most frightening,” he said.
He said the ADC remained committed to implementing measures aimed at reducing the hardship faced by Nigerians.
“We of the ADC and particularly myself insist on taking all measures that will reduce the cost of living and that is why I said I will return subsidy.
“Economic reform must have a human face. It must mean affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent jobs and renewed hope for the next generation,” he said.
Atiku concluded by blaming the current administration for the rising cost of living and promising to make life more affordable if elected.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”