The Presidency, on Monday, said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his handlers are out of touch with the current realities in Nigeria and the positive developments unfolding in the Country.
Reacting to Atiku Abubakar’s claim that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, as well as their comparison of the current situation in Nigeria, to the unrest in France before the 1789 Revolution or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Presidency described the comparisons as “grossly misleading”.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the latest statement from the Atiku Abubakar’s media team, “demonstrates a disconnect from the authentic Nigerian reality,” adding that “recent data tells a different story. Just today, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its figures for August, showing that headline inflation has declined for the fifth consecutive month”.
Onanuga recalled that over the weekend, the NBS also had reported a record trade surplus, with the contribution of non-oil exports to Nigeria’s trade balance, which is now nearly matching that of crude oil at a ratio of 48:52%.
“Our foreign exchange reserves are on the rise, now approaching $42 billion. When President Tinubu assumed office, reserves stood at $32 billion, much of it encumbered.
“This administration has since cleared over $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines”, he noted.
He also noted that under President Tinubu, Nigeria is recording unprecedented revenues. States are now able to pay salaries and gratuities promptly and still have surplus funds for capital and social projects—an achievement not previously witnessed at this scale.
“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.
“Ironically, many of the challenges we face today stem from the economic mismanagement during the PDP years, when Atiku was Vice President. President Tinubu and his team are working relentlessly to correct those errors, with bold reforms.
“After just two years and five months in office, we are proud of the progress being made under President Tinubu’s leadership”, he explained.
Presidency, while noting that “Atiku and his allies may choose to ignore these gains,”, added however , that “Nigerians can see and feel the positive changes taking place across the nation.”
