Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has defended the administration’s economic policies while pushing back against criticism of government spending and performance.
Speaking in defence of the president’s record, Onanuga criticised what he described as Nigerians’ tendency to forget the country’s previous challenges.
“Many Nigerians sometimes exhibit the problem of a lack of memory. We have very short memories; we forget where we started from and just start blaming President Tinubu for all the problems that Nigeria is going through,” he said.
During a television interview, the presidential aide highlighted the fuel crisis that preceded Tinubu’s administration, noting,
“In 2023, when Tinubu took over the government, there were fuel shortages in this country.”
Onanuga pointed to the government’s foreign exchange harmonisation policy as a significant achievement, explaining how the previous system had created opportunities for corruption.
“The second policy of the government was the harmonisation of foreign exchange. Before President Tinubu took over, the gap between the official and other windows was N300 to N400 at times. Some people were making money if they had access to Mr. Emefiele, the then CBN governor. He could make you a billionaire overnight. That has stopped,” he stated.
When confronted with allegations of government extravagance, Onanuga firmly rejected the accusations, challenging critics to provide evidence.
“That is not true. What extravagance are they seeing that they are talking about? I’m here now; do I look like someone who is extravagant? People just throw all kinds of things at government officials without any iota of proof,” he responded.
The presidential adviser emphasised the government’s commitment to implementing its policies, stating:
“The government has always been walking the talk. Whatever it says, it does. The government announced the Oronsaye report; it will try to merge some agencies. I can tell you that policy is in the works, and it was passed to the SGF to work a lot of things out.”
Looking ahead, Onanuga revealed that the administration would prioritise reducing the cost of essential commodities. According to the president’s aide, in the coming months, the government will focus on ensuring a further reduction in the prices of food and medicine.
The comments come amid ongoing public debate about the government’s economic policies and their impact on ordinary Nigerians, with critics questioning the pace of reforms and their effectiveness in addressing the country’s economic challenges.
