Once again, loquacious presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, mocks suffering Nigerians over the hardship in the land just as he did in 2016 when he was the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
By Our Correspondent
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Information, has remained consistent in insulting the sensibilities of the suffering Nigerian masses while defending the harsh policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the past twelve years. First was under late former President Muhammadu Buhari. At the time Buhari appointed Onanuga the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in May 2016.
As Buhari government grew unpopular among the populace due to the hunger and hardship that ravaged most citizens, Onanuga came to government rescue. On September 6, 2016, Onanuga took to his Facebook page to refer to reports of the hunger in the land as “Mere Propaganda”, blaming the media for blowing the hunger trumpet out of proportion.
He wrote on his Facebook page, “I was in Bauchi and Jos at the weekend, I also found that food was cheap everywhere. In our hotel, we paid about N700 for a plate of Semovita or Eba with a choice of catfish or chicken. On the road side, I found to my surprise that with just N1,000, I bought over 50 oranges, two giant water melons and 10 pieces of sweet potatoes. I had experienced a similar thing in the market at Abuja, where I found that with N1,400, I could make a big vegetable soup with tomato, pepper and roasted Titus fish. Are the media and bloggers really painting a correct image of our country? It’s time for the media to objectively conduct a reality check about our reports whether we are not over-sensationalizing so called hardship that we talked about”.
Last week, the Nigerian presidential spokesman, Onanuga, also said he does not believe the level of hunger frequently highlighted by critics reflects the reality across Nigeria, insisting that many citizens are benefitting from policies introduced by President Tinubu administration.
Onanuga stated this on Tuesday, June 23 during an interview on Arise Television, where he defended the government’s economic reforms and pointed to infrastructure projects, student loans and credit facilities for workers as evidence that the administration is delivering results.
According to him, several ongoing projects have improved the lives of Nigerians despite widespread complaints about rising food prices, inflation and the high cost of living.
Recounting a recent trip from Ibadan to Lagos, the presidential aide said he was surprised to discover a newly constructed concrete road along the Ijebu-Ode route after Google Maps redirected him due to traffic congestion.
“One day I was travelling from Ibadan to Lagos, and Google Maps told me that there was a go-slow on the approach to Lagos. I decided to pass through Ijebu-Ode via Shagamu. What struck me most was that I suddenly found myself on a paved concrete road. I said, ‘Wow, when was this one built?’” Onanuga said.
He claimed that the road project had changed the mood of residents in the area.
“I found that our people, our Ijebu people, have stopped complaining. I said, ‘Oh, no wonder they now have a brand-new road, not just an asphalt road but a concrete road.’”
Onanuga also cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, saying it had significantly reduced travel time for residents living in the Ajah axis of Lagos.
Demographics
“I live in Ajah. Anytime I am going home from Lagos and I check Google Maps, it tells me one hour and seven minutes. Before, it used to be about two hours and 30 minutes.
“Is that not beneficial? What are people talking about really?”
The presidential spokesman further defended the government’s student loan programme, arguing that thousands of Nigerian families are benefiting from the initiative.
“If you are a parent and you have four children in university and they can access federal loans that are interest-free, are they not benefiting?” he asked.
He also pointed to low-interest credit facilities for civil servants as another example of government support.
“If you are a civil servant and you can access very cheap loans at below interest rates, about seven per cent, are you not benefiting as well?” he said.
Onanuga argued that public discussions about the economy have become dominated by negative assumptions while positive developments are often ignored.
“We have been pigeonholed into certain assumptions and certain conclusions,” he said.
He also referenced a viral video from the early days of Tinubu’s administration in which a voice-over suggested that Nigerians were suffering from hunger.
“I think the President went to Lagos and was coming from the Central Mosque, and somebody did a voice-over saying, ‘Ebi n pawa o’ — meaning we are hungry. Since then, people have been repeating it,” he said.
While acknowledging that Nigerians are facing economic challenges, Onanuga insisted that his personal observations do not support claims that hunger has reached the scale often portrayed in public discourse.
“I’m a Nigerian. I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them and I keep asking them questions: How are things? How are they adjusting? What are the problems?” he said.
