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“I Don’t See the Level of Hunger Nigerians Are Complaining About” — Onanuga Defends Tinubu’s Reforms
…Policies Are Working, Nigeria Not Under Siege
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the administration’s economic reforms, insisting that the level of hardship and hunger being reported across the country does not reflect the reality he observes among many Nigerians.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Prime Time on Tuesday night, Onanuga argued that the Tinubu administration’s policies have begun yielding positive results, citing improvements in workers’ earnings, state revenues, investments, power generation and economic stability.
Addressing concerns over the rising cost of living, Onanuga said he regularly engages with people working for him and finds that many are adapting to the prevailing economic conditions.
“I don’t see the level of hunger Nigerians are complaining about,” he said, noting that the Federal Government had increased the national minimum wage by more than 100 per cent to cushion economic pressures on workers.
Onanuga also expressed confidence in the outlook of the naira, stating that the currency had found its true market value and would continue to strengthen as economic reforms deepen.
According to him, government policies introduced in 2023 have expanded investment opportunities for Nigerians, particularly in the capital market.
He claimed that about six million Nigerians had invested in the stock market and recorded significant gains since the reforms began.
“Companies operating in Nigeria are making money and creating wealth for their shareholders,” he said.
The presidential aide further credited President Tinubu’s policies for improving the financial position of state governments, saying increased revenues have enabled sub-national administrations to undertake more developmental projects.
He cited states such as Kaduna, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia as examples of governments benefiting from enhanced allocations and executing projects that were previously difficult to finance.
On security, Onanuga dismissed claims by opposition parties that Nigeria is under siege, arguing that isolated security breaches should not be portrayed as a nationwide collapse of security.
“They are creating the impression that there is insecurity everywhere. The media is not helping as well,” he said, while acknowledging that security challenges remain in some parts of the country.
On the power sector, the presidential spokesman accused Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of misunderstanding Nigeria’s electricity generation challenges.
He maintained that the country possesses an installed capacity of about 13,500 megawatts but is constrained by gas supply shortages and legacy debts owed to gas companies.
According to Onanuga, outstanding debts exceeding N4 trillion in the power sector have become a major challenge inherited by the current administration.
He insisted that electricity generation has improved under President Tinubu and expressed optimism that ongoing reforms would address longstanding structural issues affecting the sector.
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