- President Bola Tinubu’s administration blames opposition parties for hindering Nigeria’s progress.
- The administration labels these parties as enemies of national development.
- Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, made the accusations in a recent post.
As economic hardship deepens across the country, the administration of President Bola Tinubu has accused opposition parties of working against Nigeria’s progress, describing them as enemies of national development.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the claim in a post shared on Tuesday. He referenced a 2022 warning by former Emir of Kano and ex-CBN governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who had urged Nigerians to prepare for the tough road ahead under Tinubu’s leadership.
According to Onanuga, opposition elements are now aligning to undermine what he called “the most focused, most transformative administration in Nigeria’s history.”
“Emir Sanusi warned Nigerians what to expect from President Tinubu’s reforms. ‘It’s not going to be easy,’ he said. ‘If anybody tells you it would be easy, don’t vote for him.’ Just two years after Tinubu began implementing the reforms, the haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history,” Onanuga wrote.
His comments come amid mounting criticism of the government’s economic policies, such as the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira decisions that have contributed to high inflation, job losses, and a rising cost of living.
The statement from Sanusi, delivered during the 2022 Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit, had cautioned citizens against voting for politicians who promised quick fixes.
“Please let me request from our politicians. You must prepare the minds of Nigerians for difficult decisions. Anybody who tells you that it is going to be easy, please don’t vote for him. It is either he is lying to you or he doesn’t know what job he is going to do,” Sanusi said.
He emphasized that real economic reform would require tackling inflated subsidy payments and adjusting tariffs in sectors like electricity and petroleum. He also called for transparency in how subsidies are handled.
“They must give names of the ships that came, and we must verify if those ships were in Nigeria on that date… There must be proof before you pay the subsidy,” he added.
While many Nigerians have blamed the Tinubu government for worsening poverty and hardship, the presidency continues to defend its tough economic decisions as essential for long-term recovery.
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