Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says economic hardship is driving young Nigerians towards desperate measures.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis is pushing some young people towards desperate measures, including reported attempts to sell their kidneys for money.
Atiku raised the concern in a post on X on Friday, saying the reported cases showed the severity of the economic hardship facing young Nigerians.
He said young people should be using their talents and ideas to build their futures rather than considering the sale of body organs to survive.
“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” Atiku said.
The former vice president, who is the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, blamed rising food, transport, housing, education, healthcare and electricity costs on the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Atiku said some young Nigerians were being offered as little as ₦1.7 million for a kidney, describing the situation as a sign of extreme economic desperation.
The former vice president, said the government should address the conditions that make vulnerable people susceptible to organ trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
Nigeria has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and trafficking, but Atiku said enforcement alone would not address the poverty driving vulnerable people towards such choices.
He called for economic policies that would make basic necessities more affordable and create decent jobs for young Nigerians.
“Economic reforms should deliver cheaper food and transport, accessible healthcare, better employment opportunities and improved living conditions”.
According to him, the reported kidney-sale cases should prompt wider discussion about the human impact of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.
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