Tinubu Took ‘Bullets’ to Save Nigeria From Collapse — Onanuga
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the administration’s economic reforms, saying the President “took the bullets” needed to prevent Nigeria from sliding into fiscal collapse.
In an opinion piece released on Friday titled “Bola Tinubu: the man who took the bullet for Nigeria to survive,” Onanuga said opposition politicians had intensified misinformation campaigns ahead of the 2027 general election despite what he described as the administration’s achievements over the past three years.
President Tinubu, who was sworn into office on May 29, 2023, marked his third anniversary in office on Friday.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu inherited a struggling economy plagued by petrol scarcity, multiple exchange rates, low government revenue, rising debt servicing costs, and an unsustainable fuel subsidy regime.
He said the President’s decision to remove fuel subsidy and float the naira shortly after assuming office were painful but necessary measures that helped avert economic disaster.
“The man who has taken the bullets to make Nigeria survive a fiscal disaster is even more willing to take additional bullets to make all Nigerians safe,” Onanuga stated.
The presidential aide argued that the reforms had significantly increased allocations to states and local governments, enabling governors to pay salaries and execute development projects.
“In every state I have visited, I have seen this development. Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, and others have witnessed development projects spring up, thanks to President Tinubu’s re-engineering of the federation’s finances,” he said.
Onanuga added that local councils would benefit further once direct allocations from the Federation Account commence.
He cited governors from Kwara, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Nasarawa states as publicly acknowledging the impact of the Federal Government’s policies on their projects and programmes.
According to him, some opposition governors who defected to the All Progressives Congress did so because of the improved financial position of their states, not because of political inducement.
Onanuga also highlighted economic indicators under the administration, claiming the Nigerian stock market had grown significantly since 2023.
According to him, the All-Share Index rose from about 53,000 points in May 2023 to about 250,000 points, while market capitalisation increased from N30tn to N160tn.
He further pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, describing them as some of the most ambitious road projects undertaken since independence.
The presidential spokesman also listed investments in rail transportation, reforms in the oil and gas sector, expansion of student loan schemes through NELFUND, and consumer credit initiatives under CREDICORP among the administration’s achievements.
On electricity, Onanuga said the government was working to improve power supply through grid upgrades, metering programmes, and plans to settle longstanding debts owed to electricity generation companies.
He acknowledged that insecurity remained a major challenge, especially attacks by terrorists and bandits in parts of the country, but maintained that the administration was strengthening security agencies with better equipment and international support.
Onanuga said history would remember the Tinubu administration for implementing “historic reforms” and embarking on transformative projects aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s economy.
