- Says, Minister Riding Rolls Royce Unpatriotic
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted President Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria-First’ Policy, saying it reeks of hypocrisy and hollowness.
Atiku described the policy as nothing but another tired PR stunt—designed to deceive, not deliver, challenging Tinubu to embrace the doctrine by trading his Escalade for Innoson, Nord or any made-in-Nigeria car.
This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, the former Vice President said such a gesture by Tinubu would boost local industry more effectively than countless policy documents.
Atiku also urged Tinubu to display sincerity as a true advocate of the policy by undergoing all his future medical check-ups at healthcare facilities within Nigeria, henceforth.
The statement reads, “The Tinubu administration’s latest Nigeria First mantra, paraded through the Federal Executive Council, is nothing but another tired PR stunt—designed to deceive, not deliver.
“Nigerians have grown weary of hollow speeches. If this government is truly serious about local content and economic patriotism, it must start at the very top.
“We challenge President Tinubu to stop the noise and trade in his beloved Escalade for an Innoson, Nord or any made-in-Nigeria car. That single act will do more to promote the local industry than a thousand policy memos.
“Let’s see the ministers—those shameless Rolls-Royce connoisseurs—sweat it out in Nigerian-made vehicles, too. Or is Nigeria First only for the masses?”
He added: “And speaking of double standards, it’s time Mr. President shelves his love affair with Paris and London. If he’s serious about patriotism, his next vacation should be at Obudu Cattle Ranch, Yankari Game Reserve, or Erin Ijesha Waterfalls. Nigeria is beautiful—unless, of course, the President thinks otherwise.
“More importantly, the era of jetting off for medical tourism while preaching self-reliance must end. We demand that President Tinubu—champion of “Nigeria First”—conduct all future medical check-ups at LUTH, National Hospital Abuja, UCH Ibadan, or even the #41 billion Naira Akwa Ibom world-class hospital built by an uncommon transformer, in Uyo. If these hospitals are good enough for ordinary Nigerians, they should be good enough for their Commander-in-Chief. Anything less is sheer hypocrisy.
“This government’s addiction to foreign luxuries while demanding sacrifice from suffering Nigerians is the height of insincerity. True leadership isn’t photo-ops or soundbites—it’s setting the tone by example.”
Atiku’s statement is a reaction to the approval of a policy described as nationalist by the Tinubu administration during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday.
Speaking about the beauty of the policy after the FEC meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the policy would soon be reinforced through an executive order.
“This policy means Nigeria comes first in all procurement processes; no foreign goods or devices that are already being produced locally will be procured without a clear and justified reason.
“Now this seeks to foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian. It aims at making the government invest in our people and our industries by changing how the government spends money, how we procure, and how we also build our economy,” the minister added.
