The Presidency has dismissed comments by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar suggesting hunger could spark a revolution under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Atiku’s remarks were misleading and demonstrated a disconnect from Nigeria’s current realities.
“Talk is cheap. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his handlers are clearly out of touch with the positive developments currently unfolding in our country,” Onanuga wrote on X.
He faulted Atiku’s comparison of Nigeria’s situation to the French Revolution of 1789 and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, insisting the nation is making tangible progress.
Citing recent figures, Onanuga said headline inflation has declined for five straight months, while Nigeria recorded a trade surplus with non-oil exports now accounting for almost half of the trade balance.
According to him, foreign reserves have climbed to nearly $42 billion, up from $32 billion at the start of Tinubu’s tenure, despite settling over $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines.
He added that federal revenues are at record levels, enabling states to promptly pay salaries, pensions, and gratuities while still funding capital and social projects.
“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 today’s challenges stem from the economic mismanagement during the PDP years, when Atiku was Vice President,” Onanuga said.
He maintained that Tinubu’s administration is implementing bold reforms to reverse past failures and that the progress achieved in just over two years is visible across the nation.
