Atiku blames Tinubu’s policies for reports of Nigerians selling kidneys
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blamed President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies for what he described as disturbing reports of young Nigerians resorting to selling their kidneys to survive amid the country’s worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Atiku, in a statement posted on his X handle, said he had heard “disturbing stories” about the extent to which young Nigerians were being pushed into desperate measures simply to stay alive.
He described reports of young people selling parts of their bodies, particularly their kidneys, as “perhaps the most horrifying” consequence of the economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” Atiku said.
According to him, the rising cost of basic necessities, including food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity, has made it increasingly difficult for many Nigerians to live with dignity.
He said that some young Nigerians were reportedly being driven to sell their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million, describing the development as something that “should break the heart of a nation.”
Atiku said the situation went beyond ordinary economic hardship, arguing that when young Nigerians began to view their kidneys as an “emergency savings,” it was a sign of extreme desperation.
“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening,” he said.
The former vice president also acknowledged that Nigeria has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and organ trafficking. However, he argued that legislation alone could not address the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation by criminal networks.
He criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, saying no government should celebrate reforms while Nigerians were allegedly being pushed to sell parts of their bodies to afford food, rent, education and other basic needs.
Atiku called for an economic policy that prioritises the welfare of Nigerians, including affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent employment opportunities and greater economic prospects for young people.
“Our young people should be selling their ideas, talents and innovation to the world and not their kidneys for ₦1.7 million just to survive at home,” he said.
Atiku concluded by describing the alleged sale of kidneys as a manifestation of the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again,” he said.
