Tinubu’s Adviser, Bayo Onanuga, rebuts Atiku’s critique of economic reforms, asserting the government’s commitment to addressing inherited challenges
[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has addressed a recent statement by former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which Abubakar criticised Tinubu’s economic reform agenda and presented his own approach as a preferable alternative.
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Onanuga, in his detailed response, defended the Tinubu administration’s policy direction and questioned Abubakar’s economic record.
Highlighting the outcomes of the 2023 presidential election, Onanuga stated that Abubakar’s “untested” ideas lacked popular support, adding, “If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.”
According to Onanuga, Abubakar’s agenda to sell off key national assets, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was a contributing factor to his loss.
Reflecting on Abubakar’s tenure as vice president from 1999 to 2003, Onanuga described his role in what he called a “questionable privatisation programme” under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He accused Abubakar and his team of lacking confidence in Nigeria’s educational institutions, a view he claimed was underscored by their choice to establish private universities while public institutions faced neglect.
“It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes,” Onanuga noted, responding to Abubakar’s criticisms.
He emphasised that Tinubu’s reforms, though challenging, are necessary and have already shown signs of yielding positive outcomes.
Abubakar’s “gradualist” approach, according to Onanuga, lacks a clear understanding of the extent of challenges inherited by the Tinubu administration.
With Nigeria facing issues such as fuel subsidy burdens and manipulation in the forex market, Tinubu, Onanuga explained, had no choice but to pursue urgent reforms that would redirect resources more effectively.
Onanuga remarked that advocating gradual reforms is easier in theory, especially for a former leader with past opportunities to address these issues.
“President Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity,” he argued.
While acknowledging Abubakar’s call for “empathy and a human face to reforms,” Onanuga assured Nigerians that Tinubu’s administration is committed to social support initiatives.
The government’s policies, he added, include safety nets for the most vulnerable, a testament to the administration’s intent to provide economic relief where it is most needed.
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Onanuga urged Nigerians to ignore what he termed Abubakar’s “futile attempt to hoodwink” the public, maintaining that Tinubu’s economic reforms are not only necessary but will benefit the country in the long term.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
