Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, alleging that worsening hardship is pushing some Nigerian youths to consider selling their organs to survive.

Atiku made the claim in a post on his X account on Friday, September 4, 2026, where he said he had heard “disturbing stories” about the level of desperation among Nigerians facing rising living costs.

‘Young People Should Be Selling Dreams’

Atiku said young Nigerians should be using their talents and ideas to build businesses and careers rather than considering their body organs as a source of emergency income.

“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” he wrote.

He specifically referred to reports of youths allegedly selling kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million, describing the situation as a sign of severe economic 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,” Atiku said.

Atiku Blames Rising Cost Of Living

The former vice president listed food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity among essential expenses he said have become increasingly difficult for Nigerians to afford.

“In Tinubu’s Nigeria, almost everything required to live with dignity is becoming more expensive by the day,” he stated.

Atiku said government reforms should not be considered successful if Nigerians are unable to meet basic needs, arguing that economic policies must take into account their effect on vulnerable citizens.

Calls For ‘Reforms With A Human Face’

Although he acknowledged that Nigerian laws prohibit commercial organ sales and trafficking, Atiku argued that legislation alone would not address the poverty and desperation that could expose vulnerable people to criminal networks.

He called for affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent jobs and policies that would restore hope among Nigerian youths.

“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,” Atiku said. “This is the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis. Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”

Organ Trafficking Reports

Atiku’s comments followed recent reports of alleged organ harvesting and trafficking cases in Nigeria, including a police investigation into an alleged syndicate involving medical professionals.

Authorities have paraded suspects in connection with allegations that a young man had his kidney removed in exchange for a payment reportedly put at about ₦1.7 million.

The organ trafficking allegations remain separate from Atiku’s political criticism of the federal government’s economic policies.

Political Criticism Of Tinubu’s Reforms

The remarks add to Atiku’s criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, which have included major policy changes that supporters defend as necessary for long-term economic stability.

Atiku, however, argued that the immediate hardship being experienced by Nigerians should be a central consideration in assessing the reforms.