Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is set to visit the United States to draw global attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and governance challenges, his media office said on Sunday.
In a statement, his spokesman said the trip will involve meetings with “policy and institutional stakeholders” in the U.S. as part of efforts to highlight what Atiku described as a deep national crisis.
Atiku said Nigeria is facing a “full-blown internal crisis” that can no longer be ignored or politicised.
He warned that violence across the country has reached dangerous levels, pointing to attacks in the North-West, North-East, and Middle Belt.
He said the situation shows a broader failure of the state, adding that it has “moved beyond isolated incidents to a pattern of systemic failure.”
“Communities are being overrun, livelihoods destroyed, and citizens abandoned,” he said, stressing that any government that cannot protect lives “forfeits the moral basis of its mandate.”
The former vice president also raised concerns about the economy, citing “rising inflation, a weakened currency, and collapsing purchasing power” as signs of growing hardship.
On governance, he warned that declining trust in public institutions and the electoral process could threaten national stability, especially as the 2027 elections approach.
Atiku rejected criticism that engaging foreign partners amounts to inviting interference, saying “telling the truth about Nigeria is not unpatriotic.”
He urged the federal government to “urgently reset its priorities” and restore public confidence, while calling on Nigerians to remain engaged and demand accountability from leaders.
He added that Nigeria is at a critical point that requires “courage, honesty, and decisive leadership” to avoid further instability.
