Victor EzejaSpecial Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, has reacted to the latest comment by former Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, saying his criticism is unfair and appears to be driven more by bitterness than offering an objective analysis.
Atiku had in a statement released on Thursday, 29 May, criticised Tinubu’s administration in the last two years, saying it has “proven to be one of the most incompetent, disconnected, and anti-people governments in Nigeria’s democratic history.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe former vice president claimed that the level of hardship inflicted on the masses by the current administration has not been experienced under any other previous administrations.
“This government has not only deepened poverty across the country, but it has also set new records in wasteful public spending,” Atiku stated.
Responding, Onanuga, faulted Atiku’s claims, saying there has been significant progress and positive achievements made by Tinubu’s administration in the past two years.
“Atiku’s sweeping criticism is unfair and appears to be driven more by animosity than objective analysis. Unless former Vice President Atiku allowed personal grievances to cloud his judgment, he should, in good conscience, acknowledge the significant progress and positive achievements made by this administration over the past two years,” Onanuga stated.
READ ALSO: N24bn Loan: Nigeria Trapped In A Vicious Cycle Of Debt – Atiku
He said: “Tinubu’s administration has embarked on the most ambitious and audacious economic and institutional reforms ever seen in decades.”
On Atiku’s claim that Tinubu’s policies are “anti-people” and painful, the presidential spokesman said Tinubu never promised that the reforms would be painless. He said the president made it clear that they will come with difficulties, but was necessary to rescue the country from the brink of fiscal collapse.
He said that while previous administrations, including Obasanjo-Atiku Abubakar, acknowledged that the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange system were necessary, but failed to implement, Tinubu took the bold step to do so after his election in 2023.
“Atiku promised the reforms in his manifesto. Indeed, all three major candidates in the election agreed they must be done, except that the responsibility to implement the reforms fell on President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 election,” he stated.
While admitting that the reforms have brought hardship to Nigerians, especially the vulnerable households, he, however, claimed that they have “stabilised government finances, curbed systemic corruption, and enabled direct investments into social programmes and infrastructure.
“Contrary to Atiku’s claim that government policies are ‘anti-people,’ the Tinubu administration, fully acknowledging that its policies affect the vulnerable, has increased investments in social safety nets, introduced targeted interventions for low-income households, and more than doubled the minimum wage, from N30k to N70k. Some states even pay up to N85k to their workers, a feat made possible by increased federal allocations.”
On Atiku’s claim that education was out of reach for poor Nigerians, Onanuga argued that the Student Loan Scheme introduced by the Federal Government has enabled underprivileged children to have access to education, adding that over 600,000 Nigerian students have benefited from the scheme.
READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Sector Records $8bn New Investments In Two Years – Tinubu
In the area of health, he said the current administration has made considerable investments, including revitalising primary health centres, expanding health insurance and is also working to reduce the cost of medicines in the country.
He mentioned other achievements of the Tinubu’s government such as paying off the $3.4 billion IMF loan obtained in the Covid years, recording significant increase in revenue, reducing the debt service ratio to revenue, and stopping the Ways & Means deficit financing, thereby leading to increase in revenues to state, leaving subnational governments with greater resources for local development and clearing their debts.’
Concluding his response, Onanuga called on opposition leaders, including Atiku, to criticise government policies constructively, adding that they should also offer a solution.
“Nigerians deserve opposition leaders who offer solutions, not just criticism. We invite all Nigerians to judge this administration by its actions, not by the rhetoric of those who have had their opportunities to lead and who bungled the chance in years past, sold national assets for pittance, and shortchanged their compatriots,” he added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
