Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga has slammed former vice president Atiku Abubakar over his criticism towards the President Bola Tinubu-led government
He accused Atiku of political bitterness” and “unfair” attacks, insisting that the former vice president’s commentary was driven by “animosity rather than objective analysis.”
Onanuga stated this in a statement he shared on X on Thursday. He urged Atiku to “acknowledge the significant progress and positive achievements made by this administration over the past two years.
He said, “My attention has just been drawn to former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s vitriol against the Tinubu administration and the person of President Bola Tinubu.
“Atiku’s sweeping criticism is unfair and appears to be driven more by animosity than objective analysis.”
He stressed that Tinubu has shown uncommon political courage, saying: “In just two years, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has embarked on the most ambitious and audacious economic and institutional reforms ever seen in decades.”
Taking a swipe at Atiku’s campaign rhetoric, Onanuga reminded him: “During the campaign, Tinubu never promised that the reforms would be painless. But he was clear they were necessary to rescue the country from the brink of fiscal collapse to reverse years of unsustainable spending and lay a solid foundation for long-term inclusive growth.”
Onanuga highlighted Tinubu’s bold moves, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange system, which, he said, “successive administrations, including that of Obasanjo-Atiku Abubakar, acknowledged as necessary but failed to implement.”
He added, “Atiku promised the reforms in his manifesto. Indeed, all three major candidates in the election agreed they must be done, except that the responsibility to implement the reforms fell on President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 election.”
Countering Atiku’s claim that Tinubu’s policies are “anti-people,” Onanuga declared: “The Tinubu administration, fully acknowledging that its policies affect the vulnerable, has increased investments in social safety nets, introduced targeted interventions for low-income households, and more than doubled the minimum wage, from ₦30k to ₦70k
He added: “Some states even pay up to N85k to their workers, a feat made possible by increased federal allocations.”
