The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sent a congratulatory message to President Bola Tinubu, but told him to use the occasion of his 74th birthday to reflect on the state of the Nigerian nation.
ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement on X on Sunday, noted that birthdays are for reflection, adding that Nigerians are already reflecting on Tinubu’s “presidency whose impact is now impossible to ignore.”
Abdullahi stated that under Tinubu’s presidency, fuel prices have risen by nearly 500%, turning basic transportation into a daily calculation of survival.
He also noted Nigeria has become 4th on the Global Terrorism Index under Tinubu’s presidency, while thousands of lives have been lost to violence, families shattered, and communities displaced.
“Every hour, a Nigerian is killed by insurgents,” he added.
The ADC spokesperson regretted that under Tinubu’s presidency, insecurity has not just persisted, but it has been adapted, “expanded, and, at times, been met with language that blurs accountability, where those who terrorise Nigerians are referred to as ‘sons’ and ‘brothers,’ even as their victims bury loved ones.”
He noted that the economic strain on Nigerians has deepened under the president’s watch, and the cost of living has gone beyond reach, while the ‘Renewed Hope’ he promised the people “has turned to hopelessness for millions of Nigerian families.”
According to him, political space under Tinubu is narrowing, raising real concerns about the steady drift toward a one-party state, in a democracy that was fought for with blood, sweat and tears.
“So as you celebrate your final year in office, Nigerians can only offer a prayer, that this next year brings a sudden and unfamiliar miracle: that you begin to take governance more seriously; that you finally see the loss of lives under your watch as a failure of your leadership; and that you begin, at the very least, to act with the weight and responsibility of leading the world’s most populous Black nation.
“Wishing you good health, improved judgement, and a sense of responsibility to the people you govern.
“Happy Birthday, Mr President!” he prayed.
