In a heated exchange over Nigeria’s economic direction, senior presidential aide Bayo Onanuga and Atiku Abubakar’s media aide Phrank Shaibu traded words on Tuesday over President Bola Tinubu’s economic performance. Onanuga took to social media platform X to highlight what he claimed were encouraging economic signals under Tinubu’s leadership, citing a CardinalStone report that increased its bet on Nigerian assets. He argued that such confidence shows the country’s economy is resilient and poised for growth, dismissing critics as “wrong and blind.”
Shaibu fired back, accusing Onanuga of substituting propaganda for policy and misrepresenting selective investor interest as national progress. He argued that bullish market reports do not reflect the everyday struggles of Nigerians. According to Shaibu, while the elite speak of reforms and investment flows, ordinary citizens face rising inflation, job losses, and a deteriorating standard of living.
He also challenged the claim that the CardinalStone forecast reflects public sentiment, stating that portfolio reallocations are not endorsements of Tinubu’s governance. Rather, he described the economic hardship as a result of poorly executed reforms—especially subsidy removals without adequate safety nets and tax pressures that hurt the working class.
The opposition aide insisted that the economic realities under Tinubu are far from the glossy narratives being spun in official circles. He painted a picture of deepening poverty and despair, warning that the administration’s failure to ease citizens’ suffering could have political consequences in 2027.
Responding again, Onanuga criticized Shaibu for being selectively negative and blind to progress. Shaibu, however, held firm, accusing the presidency of “gaslighting” Nigerians and warned that no amount of “spinning” could mask the real pain people are feeling under the Tinubu administration.
Source: The sun