Tinubu Has Taken Bullets To Make Nigeria Survive – President’s Aide

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the administration’s economic reforms, saying the President took difficult decisions to save Nigeria from fiscal collapse.

Naija News reports that Onanuga stated this in an opinion piece titled, “Bola Tinubu: the man who took the bullet for Nigeria to survive.”

The presidential aide said opposition politicians had intensified what he described as misinformation campaigns ahead of the 2027 general election, despite the administration’s achievements in the last three years.

Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, marks his third anniversary in office on Friday.

Onanuga said Tinubu inherited an economy battling petrol scarcity, multiple exchange rates, low revenue generation, high debt servicing and an unsustainable fuel subsidy regime.

According to him, the President’s decision to remove petrol subsidy and float the naira was painful but necessary.

He said the reforms prevented economic disaster and improved allocations to states and local governments.

“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.

‘States Benefiting From Reforms’

The presidential aide said many state governments could now pay salaries and execute infrastructure projects because of increased allocations from the Federation Account.

He said, “In every state I have visited, I have seen this development. Ogun, my state, 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 and increased allocation to the states.

“When local councils begin to receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account, the Tinubu effect will ensure that more governance cascades down to the 774 local councils.”

Onanuga said governors of Kwara, Ebonyi, Enugu and Nasarawa states had publicly acknowledged the benefits of the Federal Government’s policies.

He rejected claims that opposition governors defected to the APC because they were bribed.

The presidential aide said, “Many opposition PDP governors who joined the APC did so for this reason—not for the baseless claim that President Tinubu bribed them.

“Governor Abdulrazak said in December 2024 that his administration embarked on more projects in the first 18 months of Tinubu’s presidency than in his first four years.

“The Governor of Ebonyi, Nwifuru, who is building iconic underpasses and overpasses in Abakaliki, credited his ambition to President Tinubu. Governor Peter Mbah similarly attested to this, crediting the Naira rain from the centre for his programmes.

“And Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, who understands how Tinubu’s financial re-engineering and the end of the subsidy regime have increased the states’ fortunes, said President Tinubu ‘has taken the bullets for all of them.’”

Stock Market, Infrastructure Highlighted

Onanuga said the stock market had recorded major growth under Tinubu.

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 ₦30tn to ₦160tn.

He also listed major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, describing them as some of the most ambitious road projects since independence.

The presidential spokesman also highlighted investments in rail transportation, reforms in the oil and gas sector, expansion of student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and consumer credit initiatives under CREDICORP.

He said the administration had also improved electricity supply through grid upgrades, metering programmes and plans to clear legacy debts owed to generation companies.

‘Insecurity Remains Challenge’

Onanuga admitted that insecurity remained a major challenge, especially attacks by bandits and terrorists in parts of the country.

He, however, said the government was supporting security agencies with equipment and international cooperation to tackle the threats.

The presidential aide said historians would remember the Tinubu administration for “historic reforms” and transformative infrastructure projects aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s economy.