Atiku Slams Tinubu’s $516 Million Loan for Sokoto-Badagry Highway as Reckless Borrowing
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s request for a fresh $516 million external loan to fund a major section of the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, calling it another step into unsustainable debt without proper safeguards. In a statement released through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku acknowledged that connecting Nigeria’s Northwest to the Southwest through this ambitious 1,000-kilometre highway is important for national integration. But he warned that good intentions cannot justify reckless fiscal choices. “At a time when Nigeria is already groaning under the weight of unsustainable debt, the resort to yet another foreign loan—without transparent terms, clear cost-benefit analysis, and a credible repayment framework—raises profound questions about prudence and accountability,” Atiku said. He stressed that Nigerians deserve development that is sustainable and not mortgaged against future gener...