Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has pushed back against claims that nothing has changed in Nigeria under the current administration.
Onanuga made the remarks on Saturday while responding to an X user, Kalu Aja, who argued that Nigeria’s rising revenues had not translated into an improvement in the country’s fiscal position.
Aja had written that government revenue, expenditure, deficit and debt had all increased, arguing that the rise in revenue should ordinarily help reduce the deficit.
Responding on X, Onanuga said the argument overlooked what he described as significant changes under the Tinubu administration.
“I am not sure you live in Nigeria. If you do, you won’t dismiss the Tinubu administration’s efforts to reset the economy,” Onanuga wrote.
He cited several developments which he said demonstrated that the country had changed under Tinubu.
According to the presidential aide, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has not embarked on the kind of prolonged disruption of academic activities that previously affected Nigerian universities.
He also pointed to the ability of state governments to meet their wage obligations and the implementation of the Student Loans programme as examples of developments under the administration.
On infrastructure, Onanuga cited the government’s ongoing plans for major highway projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
He also argued that Nigeria’s external trade position had improved, pointing to reported trade surpluses and an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Onanuga further claimed that Nigerians can now use Naira-denominated cards abroad, describing it as another development that demonstrates changes in the country’s financial system.
He dismissed critics who, in his view, refuse to acknowledge such developments.
“Only those power mongers and those blinded by hate will not acknowledge the progress we have made under President Tinubu,” he said.
On the issue of government borrowing, Onanuga argued that deficit financing is not inherently wrong, provided borrowed funds are not being used to pay salaries.
He compared Nigeria’s borrowing to that of the United States, noting that the US government also operates with significant debt and continues to borrow to finance government operations.
However, the claims made by both sides in the exchange reflect different interpretations of Nigeria’s fiscal performance. While the Tinubu administration has highlighted increased revenue, improved foreign exchange liquidity and trade surpluses, critics have continued to raise concerns about rising debt, government expenditure and the country’s fiscal deficit.
The debate comes amid continued arguments over the impact of Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, exchange-rate reforms and changes to government revenue and spending.
Onanuga’s latest comments therefore represent the presidency’s continued defence of the administration’s economic record against criticism that Nigerians have yet to see sufficient improvement in living conditions.
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