The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for Nigerians held captive by terrorists and kidnappers, accusing him of blaming opposition parties for hunger instead of addressing the country’s worsening security and economic crises.
The rights group said Tinubu’s re-election campaign flag-off in Kaduna exposed the gap between his political ambitions and the daily struggles of Nigerians battling insecurity, soaring food prices and declining purchasing power.
In a statement dated October 25 and signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA faulted the President for using the campaign rally to blame previous administrations for hunger and poverty without presenting a clear plan to tackle the challenges.
At the rally, Tinubu reportedly declared: “They created the hunger. They created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it.”
But HURIWA argued that the President could not escape responsibility for the effects of his administration’s policies since assuming office in May 2023.
The association demanded a clear explanation of the measures being taken to rescue Nigerians reportedly held captive in Borno, Kwara, Niger and other states affected by terrorist attacks and mass abductions.
It said families of kidnapped victims could not be left waiting indefinitely while political parties focused on electoral calculations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
HURIWA urged the Federal Government to set measurable security targets, strengthen intelligence operations, dismantle kidnapping networks and ensure accountability for security failures.
It maintained that the government’s performance should be judged by the lives protected, abducted citizens rescued and communities secured, rather than political rallies and campaign promises.
On the economy, the association rejected attempts to shift responsibility for the hardship Nigerians face to previous administrations and opposition parties.
It said the removal of petrol subsidy, exchange-rate reforms and rising costs of essential goods and services had placed enormous pressure on households and businesses.
According to HURIWA, Nigerians continue to contend with expensive food, transportation, electricity and medicines, while small businesses struggle with rising operating costs.
The group also demanded a transparent account of the savings from petrol subsidy removal, including how the funds had been deployed and the tangible benefits delivered to ordinary citizens.
It said economic reforms could not be justified indefinitely without clear evidence that they were improving household incomes, reducing poverty and restoring purchasing power.
HURIWA further argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has governed Nigeria since 2015, must accept responsibility for its economic and security record.
It challenged Tinubu to provide evidence of progress in reducing poverty, protecting vulnerable households, improving healthcare and expanding economic opportunities.
The association said complaints about hunger should not be dismissed as political attacks but treated as legitimate demands for accountability from citizens struggling to survive.
It called on the Federal Government to prioritise the rescue of abducted Nigerians, intensify operations against terrorists and kidnappers, improve intelligence coordination and publish transparent information on the use of subsidy savings.
HURIWA warned that security, economic welfare and public accountability would remain critical tests of the administration as the 2027 election approaches.
It insisted that Tinubu’s re-election campaign must not become an escape from responsibility, urging the President to confront the country’s challenges with credible solutions rather than blame political opponents.
