{
  "id": 432205,
  "title": "Atiku: Tinubu Scorecard Soaked in Blood Pledges Support for Soldiers’ Salaries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/atiku-tinubu-scorecard-soaked-in-blood-pledges-support-for-soldiers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T02:49:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/10/atiku-tinubu-scorecard-soaked-in-blood-pledges-support-for-soldiers-salaries/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chuks Okocha, a presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed concern over reports indicating that 5,091 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents across the country within a three-month period. The former vice president alleged that President Bola Tinubu's administration's scorecard was marred by bloodshed. Atiku, however, welcomed the recent government announcement to raise the salaries of members of the armed forces. The statement released by Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, detailed how these figures represented the human cost of insecurity and the government's failure to protect lives and property. Atiku stressed that every number was a Nigerian who lost their life, with families left mourning, children deprived of parents, and communities living in constant fear. He argued that the worsening insecurity was linked to the Tinubu administration's fiscal indiscipline, wasteful spending, and poor budgetary implementation. Atiku welcomed the pay raise for military personnel but emphasized that it was only a small part of what was needed to restore morale and enhance the operational effectiveness of the security forces. He stated that soldiers deserved better pay, equipment, operational funding, and proper welfare for their families. Atiku called for a government that cuts waste, eliminates questionable expenditure, and significantly improves the implementation of budgetary appropriations, especially for defence and security. He concluded by stating that every Nigerian lost to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes was a failure of the state's most basic constitutional duty.",
  "summary": "Chuks Okocha in Abuja Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has expresse worry over reports that 5,091 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents across the country",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}