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As Nigerians reflect on the Tinubu administration following the recent celebration of its second anniversary, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has observed that many Nigerians tend to forget past circumstances and unfairly blame the President for all of Nigeria’s problems.
In an interview with Arise TV on Friday night, May 30, Onanuga stated:
“Many Nigerians suffer from a lack of historical perspective. We often have very short memories. We forget where we started from and then place the entire blame for Nigeria’s challenges on President Tinubu.
I recall that when Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the country was already facing fuel shortages—something many have conveniently forgotten. Throughout the 2023 election period, fuel shortages were a serious issue. So, when the President announced the removal of the fuel subsidy on the day he was sworn in, the immediate response from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the major fuel supplier, was to raise pump prices because at that time, NNPC had stopped importing fuel.
NNPC had been struggling financially, with the Federal Government owing it over N4 trillion and the corporation also owing foreign suppliers. The government intervened by injecting funds into NNPC, enabling it to resume fuel imports and restore supply. Yet, many people overlook this critical context.
There was simply no way Nigeria could sustain the fuel subsidy regime given the current resource constraints,” he explained.
Onanuga urged Nigerians to acknowledge the positive steps President Tinubu has taken, emphasizing the need to give credit where it is due for decisions benefiting the country as a whole.
