Atiku Critiques Tinubu's Economic Management Amid Outflows

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticized President Bola Tinubu's economic record in a statement issued on September 8, 2026, by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication. He pointed to a surge in foreign capital outflows from Nigeria's equities market, where foreign investors withdrew ₦779.43 billion against an inflow of ₦513.36 billion between January and July 2026, resulting in a net outflow of ₦266.07 billion.

This figure is approximately 11.7 times the net outflow of ₦22.68 billion recorded in the same period of 2023. Shaibu also noted a 90.5 percent increase in the federal government's domestic borrowing, which reached ₦24.7 trillion in eight months, outpacing credit growth to the private sector.

Atiku argued that this crowding-out effect is detrimental to Nigerian businesses, especially amid rising food prices and transport costs. He contrasted Tinubu's "economics of government consumption" with his proposed focus on private-sector growth and household affordability.