Show example by swapping your Escalade for Innoson – Atiku slams Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria first’ policy

Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the newly introduced “Nigeria First” policy by the Tinubu administration, labeling it as an insincere public relations stunt.

In a statement released on Tuesday, May 7, 2025, Shaibu expressed skepticism over the government’s commitment to promoting local content and economic patriotism.

He stated that Nigerians are weary of “empty speeches and symbolic gestures” and demanded concrete actions from the leadership.

Shaibu particularly challenged President Bola Tinubu to lead by example by replacing his official foreign-made luxury vehicles, such as the Escalade, with locally manufactured alternatives like Innoson or Nord Motors.

According to Shaibu, “That single act will do more to promote local industry than a thousand policy memos.”

He went further to call on federal ministers to follow suit, urging them to set aside their preference for Rolls Royce vehicles and adopt Nigerian-made cars, questioning whether the “Nigeria First” slogan was only meant for ordinary citizens.

On matters of leisure and healthcare, Shaibu said the President must stop favouring international destinations like Paris and London for vacations, insisting he should visit local tourist attractions such as Obudu Cattle Ranch, Yankari Game Reserve, and Erin Ijesha Waterfalls.

He also demanded an end to medical tourism by the nation’s leaders, urging President Tinubu to conduct all medical check-ups at public health facilities like LUTH, National Hospital Abuja, UCH Ibadan, or the Akwa Ibom International Hospital in Uyo.

Shaibu maintained that if these hospitals were considered sufficient for the masses, they should equally serve the President. Anything less, he said, would expose the insincerity of the government’s proclaimed patriotism.

Concluding, he described the administration’s attachment to foreign luxuries while asking Nigerians to make sacrifices as “the height of insincerity.”

He noted that real leadership is about setting an example, not staging photo opportunities or delivering empty slogans.