Atiku Laments Rising Reports Of Young Nigerians Selling Kidneys To Survive…
By Sunday Etuka
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed deep concern over disturbing reports that young Nigerians are increasingly resorting to selling parts of their bodies, particularly kidneys, in desperate attempts to survive amid the country’s worsening economic hardship.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Friday, Atiku said young people should be known for selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs, describing the trend as one that should offend the conscience of every Nigerian.
He said that under the current administration, the cost of nearly everything required to live with dignity, including food, transport, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity, continues to rise, pushing many young Nigerians toward desperate measures.
He noted reports that some young Nigerians are being driven to sell their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million, calling it a development that should break the heart of the nation.
According to him, young Nigerians should be building careers, starting businesses, raising families and pursuing their dreams, not calculating how much parts of their bodies can fetch simply to stay alive.
He warned that when young people begin viewing their kidneys as emergency savings, the country has moved beyond ordinary economic hardship into a more frightening level of desperation.
Atiku acknowledged that Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and trafficking, but stressed that legislation alone cannot address the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy targets for criminal networks.
He said no government should celebrate economic reforms while young Nigerians are being reduced to selling parts of their bodies to eat, pay rent, settle school fees or simply survive.
He called for economic reform with a human face, one that delivers affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent jobs and renewed hope for the next generation.
He added that young Nigerians should be offering their ideas, talents and innovation to the world, not their kidneys, just to survive at home.
Describing the trend as the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis, Atiku said, “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”
