The Nigerian Presidency has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the country is being overwhelmed by hunger, insisting that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making steady progress.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, criticized Atiku’s remarks as out of touch with current realities.
He accused the former VP of exaggerating the nation’s challenges and ignoring recent economic improvements.
Atiku had earlier described the hunger situation as “unacceptable” and claimed that Tinubu had shown no signs of addressing poverty or food insecurity more than two years into his administration.
Responding, Onanuga said Atiku’s rhetoric, comparing Nigeria’s situation to France before the 1789 Revolution and Russia before 1917, was “misleading and inflammatory.”
“Talk is cheap,” Onanuga said, adding that Atiku’s comments fail to reflect what he called “the authentic Nigerian reality.”
He cited recent statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicating that headline inflation had declined for five consecutive months, and that the country had recorded a record trade surplus, with non-oil exports nearly matching oil exports.
Onanuga also highlighted a rise in foreign exchange reserves, now nearing $42 billion, up from $32 billion when Tinubu assumed office.
He said over $7 billion in arrears had been cleared, including $800 million owed to international airlines.
He concluded that Nigeria is experiencing “unprecedented revenues,” enabling state governments to pay salaries and gratuities promptly, and still fund capital and social development projects.
“Nigeria is on the right path,” Onanuga stated.
“President Tinubu’s administration is correcting the errors of the past, especially those created under the PDP government during Atiku’s time as Vice President.”
