Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar | File photo
The presidency has dismissed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar‘s comments on hunger and hardship in the country.
In a statement issued by his media office on Monday, Abubakar said the increasing spate of hunger ravaging the country, largely felt by the underprivileged and the downtrodden, is deplorable.
However, in a statement on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, said the former vice-president and his aides are “out of touch with the positive developments unfolding in the country”.
Abubakar had also compared Nigeria’s situation to France before the 1789 revolution and Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
Advertisement
Onanuga described the claim as “grossly misleading”.
He said recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows headline inflation declined for the fifth consecutive month in August.
He added that the NBS also reported a record trade surplus at the weekend, with non-oil exports contributing almost as much as crude oil in a 48:52 ratio.
Advertisement
Onanuga said Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves have climbed to nearly $42 billion, up from $32 billion when Tinubu took office.
He said the administration has cleared more than $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines.
According to the presidential spokesperson, Nigeria is recording “unprecedented revenues”, allowing states to pay salaries and gratuities promptly while still having surplus funds for capital and social projects.
“After just two years and five months in office, we are proud of the progress being made under President Tinubu’s leadership,” Onanuga said.
Advertisement
“Atiku and his allies may choose to ignore these gains, but Nigerians can see and feel the positive changes taking place across the nation.”
