The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, following Atiku’s recent criticism of the Tinubu administration.
In a statement released Thursday, Onanuga accused Atiku of allowing personal grievances to cloud his judgment and dismissed the former vice president’s remarks as “partisan rhetoric lacking in substance.”
Onanuga defended the Tinubu administration’s record, highlighting what he described as “historic and courageous reforms” undertaken in the past two years, including the removal of fuel subsidies, unification of the foreign exchange market, and fiscal discipline that past administrations failed to implement.
“Unless the former Vice President is still living in Dubai, he should acknowledge the bold and unprecedented reforms this administration has implemented. President Tinubu has done what Atiku and others only promised,” Onanuga stated.
The statement also dismissed Atiku’s claim that the government’s policies are anti-people, countering that the administration has more than doubled the minimum wage and introduced social safety nets to protect vulnerable Nigerians.
Onanuga cited the Student Loan Scheme, already benefiting over 600,000 students, as one of several initiatives making education more accessible.
Dismissing allegations of irresponsible borrowing, Onanuga clarified that the administration’s proposed $1.2 billion loan is not for funding the 2025 budget.
He noted that Nigeria, for the first time in decades, has ended the controversial Ways & Means deficit financing, repaid a $3.4 billion IMF loan, and reduced the debt service-to-revenue ratio from 93% to 60%.
Onanuga concluded by calling on Atiku and opposition leaders to offer constructive alternatives rather than “repeating tired attacks.”
“Criticism is part of democracy, but it must be solution-driven. Nigerians deserve more than empty talk from those who squandered their own chances to lead,” he said.
The presidential aide reaffirmed that President Tinubu remains committed to democratic values and will not suppress dissent.
