Abuja — The Presidency has strongly dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, insisting that the nation is making steady progress under President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku, in a statement earlier, compared the current hardship in Nigeria to the unrest in France before the 1789 revolution and the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. But in a swift response, the Presidency described his remarks as “cheap talk” and a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s reality.
Atiku Out of Touch — Presidency
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency argued that Atiku and his team are “out of touch with unfolding developments.”
“Their claim that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, and their comparison of our situation to the unrest in France before the 1789 Revolution or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, is grossly misleading,” Onanuga said.
He pointed to recent economic data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing that headline inflation had declined for the fifth consecutive month, while Nigeria also recorded a record trade surplus, with non-oil exports contributing nearly equally to the balance of trade at a 48:52 ratio compared to crude oil.
Economic Gains Under Tinubu
The Presidency further highlighted progress under Tinubu’s administration:
- Foreign reserves have risen to nearly $42 billion, compared to $32 billion when Tinubu assumed office.
- The government has cleared over $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines.
- States now enjoy unprecedented revenues, enabling prompt payment of salaries and gratuities, while still funding capital and social projects.
Onanuga added that Nigeria is moving in the right direction, contrasting Tinubu’s reforms with what he described as the “economic mismanagement of the PDP years” when Atiku was Vice President.
Presidency’s Final Word
“Nigeria is moving in the right direction. In contrast, Atiku and his party remain stuck in the past, fixated on doomsday scenarios and revolutionary rhetoric,” the statement read.
The Presidency maintained that Tinubu’s bold economic reforms are laying the foundation for sustainable growth, stressing that the government is correcting the errors of the past.
