Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of promoting “economic fantasies” and urged him to rid himself of “petty politics.”
Recent weeks have seen exchanges between the presidency and Abubakar following his proposed solutions to the country’s economic difficulties.
Last week, the former vice-president stated that he could not be envious of Tinubu, as the president causes pain for Nigerians.
In a statement on Sunday, Onanuga emphasized that Nigerians rejected both Abubakar and his ideas during the 2023 presidential election.
“Atiku’s critiques of Tinubu’s presidency are mere harebrained propositions devoid of realistic alternatives,” the presidential aide said.
“He must acknowledge the decades of mismanagement of the economy inherited by the current administration, including the exorbitant subsidy expenditures that far exceeded government earnings from crude oil.”
“As of mid-2023, the landing cost of fuel was between N500 and N600, while it was sold nationwide at an average of N200. The 2023 budget allocated N3.36 trillion for fuel subsidies until June 2023, against a projected N2.23 trillion in oil revenue for the year.”
“The Nigerian state was on life support.”
“We expect Atiku to commend what the Tinubu administration has achieved concerning revenue generation for the Federation.”
“Without factoring in oil sales, revenue proceeds generated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service almost doubled in the first half of 2024, compared with the level Tinubu met in 2023. The states and councils are more prosperous because of it, as many states have increased the minimum wage for their workers to between N70,000 and N85,000.”
“Atiku’s proposal to privatize the four government-owned refineries, which collectively can only meet a fraction of the nation’s daily fuel consumption when activated, lacks originality.”
Onanuga concluded by stating that Abubakar’s economic proposals do not offer a feasible alternative to Tinubu’s “decisive reforms” and urged the former vice-president to restore his reputation as a statesman.
