The special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has said many Nigerians are already reaping the benefits of the administration’s economic reforms and policy initiatives.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Onanuga defended the president’s policies and rejected claims that hardship and insecurity have become widespread across the country.
According to him, the narrative of mass hunger gained traction shortly after Tinubu assumed office and has continued to shape public perception.
“We have been pigeon-holed into certain assumptions and conclusions,” he said.
“It’s like in the early days of this government. Somebody did a voice-over saying that we are hungry. Since then, people have been saying that.
“I am a Nigerian; I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them (workers) and I keep asking them questions. How are things? How are they adjusting? What are the problems?”
Onanuga said the impact of the administration’s infrastructure projects is becoming increasingly visible across the country.
Recalling a recent trip from Ibadan to Lagos, he said he was surprised to encounter a newly constructed concrete road through Ijebu-Ode.
“One day, I was travelling from Ibadan to Lagos and Google Maps told me there was a go-slow as I approached Lagos. So, I decided to take Ijebu-Ode via Sagamu. What struck me was that I just found myself on a paved concrete road. I said, ‘wow, when was this one built?’” he said.
He also noted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has significantly reduced his travel time to Ajah.
“Anytime I go to Lagos and ask Google Maps to tell me how long it will take me to get home, it tells me one hour seven minutes,” he said.
“Before, it used to be two hours 30 minutes. The reason is because we now have a coastal road that has shortened my travel time.”
The presidential aide further highlighted initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CreditCorp), saying they are delivering direct benefits to citizens.
“If you are a parent and you have four children in the university, and they are able to access a federal loan which is interest-free, are they not benefiting? If you are a civil servant and you can access CreditCorp, a very cheap loan at a single-digit interest rate, are they not benefiting?” he asked.
Onanuga also criticised sections of the media for what he described as exaggerated reporting of insecurity, arguing that such coverage creates the impression that the entire country is unsafe.
“The media in Nigeria are even creating the problem. The way they report insecurity is as if the entire country is consumed,” he said.
He referenced a conversation with the managing director of NELFUND, who he said recently travelled by road from Abuja to Kebbi without any security incident.
“Don’t let people frighten you that the entire country is under siege. It is not so. There are security breaches, but the entire country is not under siege,” he added.
The presidential aide also dismissed recent remarks by Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), concerning electricity supply.
Onanuga accused Obi of lacking adequate knowledge of the country’s installed power generation capacity.
“Power generation has increased. We are not at the level the president met it. We already have in Nigeria a stored capacity of 13,500 megawatts,” he said.
He added that the power sector’s major challenge remains gas supply, blaming the situation on more than N4 trillion in legacy debts owed by operators to gas companies.