Former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar has said poverty is accelerating like hurricane in Nigeria while the
elected leaders live flamboyant lifestyles inconsistent with the hardships of
the ordinary citizen.
He accused Nigerian leaders
of doing little or nothing to address the alarming scale of poverty in the
country.
This was disclosed in a New
Year message to Nigerians released by his media office in Abuja on Tuesday,
Premium Times reports.
According to the former
vice president, he was fully aware of the tough challenges of existence facing
the ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku pointed out to political
leaders that the success of democracy is determined by how much the life of the
people has improved, and not how much fortunes they (leaders) have made for
themselves.
Stressing that democracy
offers the people the opportunity to use the power of their votes to bring
about the desired change, Atiku said once democracy was made to work as it
should, there would be no excuses for the current level of poverty in the
country.
He said that elective
offices should be perceived as an opportunity to offer selfless service rather
than personal enrichment while also calling on all political leaders to embrace
the spirit of tolerance.
He added that people should
not become enemies because of political differences.
He therefore urged
Nigerians not to lose hope because of the current challenges facing the
country.
He called on Nigerians to
see the New Year with renewed optimism, and be active participants in the
struggle to bring about change by democratic means.
Atiku also advised them to
register massively and collect their PVCs so that they could vote for parties
and candidates of their choice.
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