By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said worsening economic hardship is pushing young Nigerians into dangerous and poorly regulated livelihoods, as he donated N20 million to families of suspected artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Minna, Niger State.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate made the donation when he met families and survivors of the incident, saying the tragedy should prompt a deeper examination of the poverty, unemployment and cost-of-living pressures forcing young people to take greater risks simply to survive.
In a statement signed by his senior special assistant on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the experience of one of the survivors brought home the severity of the conditions surrounding the deaths.
“It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors. He told us that more than 68 of them were crammed into one small detention facility and that conditions became so desperate that they had to drink one another’s urine just to stay hydrated.
“No Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government. These were human beings in the care of the state. Whatever accusations may have been made against them, they were entitled to their lives, their dignity and the protection of the law,” he added.
Atiku said the deaths of the 37 suspected miners should lead to truth, justice and accountability, while also forcing the government to examine why so many young Nigerians are turning to hazardous occupations.
“Thirty-seven young Nigerians entered the custody of the state alive and did not return alive to their families. That tragedy demands truth, justice and accountability,” he said.
“But beyond establishing what happened in that detention facility, we must also ask why so many of our young people are being pushed into dangerous and precarious livelihoods simply to survive.”
The former vice president, who also visited the Emir of Minna, Alhaji (Dr) Umar Farouk Bahago, Chairman of the Minna Emirate Council, and former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), said the wider economic environment could no longer be separated from the risks confronting young Nigerians.
“When families can no longer afford the basics and young people are forced to take extraordinary risks just to earn a living, government cannot pretend that everything is working,” Atiku said.
He argued that economic reforms should ultimately be judged by their effect on households, workers and young people, rather than by the announcement of reforms themselves.
“Economic reform must ultimately be measured by what it does to the lives of ordinary people. If life becomes progressively more difficult for families, workers and young people, then the government has a responsibility to reconsider the choices producing those outcomes,” he said.
Atiku also restated his commitment to reducing the cost of living if elected president, proposing a targeted production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria rather than a return to an open-ended subsidy on imported fuel.
He said the proposed arrangement would support domestic refining, create jobs and ensure that government intervention translates into lower prices for consumers.
“My promise to make life affordable again is not a political slogan. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people,” Atiku said.
“We will support what Nigeria produces. We will support fuel refined in Nigeria, create Nigerian jobs and insist that every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to the consumer,” he added.
Atiku said the government must focus not only on announcing reforms but also on improving the material conditions of Nigerians.
“The purpose of government is not merely to announce reforms. The purpose of government is to make life better for the people,” he said.
He said young Nigerians should have access to classrooms, skills, jobs and opportunities that enable them to fulfil their potential, rather than being driven towards dangerous and uncertain means of earning a living.
