Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has asserted that many Nigerians blame the President for the nation’s woes due to what he describes as a “short memory” of the country’s condition before Tinubu assumed office.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Onanuga argued that critics of the administration often overlook the dire circumstances Tinubu inherited in May 2023. “Let me start by saying that many of us in this country, many Nigerians, we sometimes exhibit the problem of lack of memory. We have very short memory. We forget where we started from and we just start blaming President Tinubu for all the problems that Nigeria is going through,” he stated.
Onanuga recalled the severe fuel crisis that plagued Nigeria in the months leading up to the 2023 general elections, highlighting persistent shortages and long queues. He explained that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), then the sole importer of fuel, had scaled back imports because the federal government owed it over ₦4 trillion in unpaid subsidy claims, leaving NNPC unable to pay its foreign suppliers.
It was under these circumstances, Onanuga noted, that President Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy on his first day in office. This decisive move led to a sharp increase in pump prices, but was necessary to restore fuel supply and stabilize the sector.
Onanuga emphasized that maintaining the subsidy was unsustainable, as the country lacked the resources and was spending money meant for future generations. He acknowledged the hardship that followed but insisted the administration has been transparent about the challenges and has introduced measures to ease the burden on citizens.
He further pointed to achievements such as fixing the foreign exchange system and tackling long-standing issues like arbitrage, which previous governments had ignored. “So I want to start from there and say, look, Nigeria should give this President some credit for stopping the arbitrage that characterised the foreign exchange regime under previous administrations, including PDP,” Onanuga said.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to recognize the tangible benefits of the reforms, stating, “You can see the results, the gains that have accrued to this country, the reforms that have taken place, and the gains are showing and to the benefit of our people.”
