Bayo Onanuga to Atiku: Your criticism of Tinubu driven by animosity

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s incessant criticism of his principal is driven by animosity.

Onanuga was responding to Abubakar’s assessment of Tinubu’s second year in office.

In a statement issued Thursday, Onanuga said in two years, Tinubu has carried out the “most ambitious and audacious” economic and institutional reforms not witnessed in the country in decades.

“Atiku’s sweeping criticism is unfair and appears to be driven more by animosity than objective analysis,” the statement reads.

“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.”

The aide said Tinubu never promised that his reforms would be painless but was clear that they were necessary to save the country from the brink of fiscal collapse due to unsustainable spending.

Onanuga said the removal of subsidy on petrol and unification of the foreign exchange market were policies previous administrations deemed imperative but failed to implement.

He said unlike Abubakar and a few critics, “everyone” agrees the reforms have stabilised government finances, reduced systemic corruption, and attracted direct investments into social programmes and infrastructure.

“Foreign investors now see Nigeria as an irresistible destination. Since 2023, the Nigerian exchange has seen its ASI jump from 50,000 to over 110,000, and market capitalisation has increased to N69.4 trillion, from about N30 trillion before Tinubu’s ascension,” he said.

Faulting Abubakar’s assertion that Tinubu’s policies only favour the rich while punishing the poor, Onanuga said the president has implemented social safety nets, introduced targeted interventions for low-income households and increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.

Onanuga said Abubakar’s remark that education has become out of reach for poor Nigerians is “entirely off the mark”.

“Everyone knows the claim is false. It is just an attempt to throw any muck at Bola Tinubu,” he said.

BORROWING CLAIM

The presidential spokesperson said since last year, the government has introduced the student loan scheme to ensure that underprivileged children are not denied education because of poverty.

He said at the last count, over 600,000 students have benefitted from the scheme.

Onanuga said the Tinubu administration has made investments in medical care, including revitalising primary health centres, expanding health insurance, and working to reduce the cost of medicines.

He said Abubakar “ignorantly” accused the Tinubu administration of borrowing fresh money to support the 2025 budget, adding that the former vice-president “relied on social media gossip”.

“The finance minister has debunked this as untrue and said that even this year, the government only wants to borrow about $1.2 billion,” Onanuga said.

“Because Atiku does not like Bola Tinubu’s guts, he forgets to credit his administration with some of the fiscal achievements in the last two years. Revenue has increased phenomenally.

“The debt service ratio to revenue has declined from 93 per cent to 60 percent. This government has paid off the $3.4 billion IMF loan obtained in the Covid years.

“The current administration has discontinued Ways & Means deficit financing for the first time in decades.

“State revenue has risen, and subnational governments now have greater resources for local development and to pay their debts.”

Onanuga said criticism must be constructive, adding that Abubakar should also offer a solution when he opposes government policies.

“Otherwise, his opposition statements will be dismissed as mere partisan rhetoric and cheap talk,” he said.

Onanuga urged Nigerians to judge the current administration objectively.