Onanuga: Nigerians Forget History, Blame Tinubu Unfairly
As Nigerians reflect on President Bola Tinubu’s administration following its two-year anniversary, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said that many citizens are unfairly blaming the president for the country’s long-standing issues.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Friday, May 30, Onanuga said a major challenge among Nigerians is what he described as a “lack of memory” regarding the country’s past struggles.
“Many Nigerians seem to forget where we started from. They act as if all the problems Nigeria is currently facing began with President Tinubu,” Onanuga remarked. “People have short memories.
For instance, in May 2023, when President Tinubu assumed office, the country was already dealing with a fuel scarcity that lasted through the elections. Yet people act like the subsidy removal caused it.”
Onanuga explained that Tinubu’s announcement of fuel subsidy removal on his inauguration day was a necessary decision, not a sudden one.
He revealed that at the time, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) — the sole fuel importer — was in financial distress, claiming over N4 trillion was owed to it by the Federal Government, along with massive debts to its foreign suppliers. As a result, the NNPC halted fuel imports.
“The government had to step in and support NNPC to resume fuel imports, just to stabilize supply. But people have quickly forgotten all of this,” he said.
He emphasized that maintaining the fuel subsidy regime was economically unsustainable.
“There was simply no way Nigeria could continue paying for fuel subsidies with its limited resources,” he said, calling for greater public understanding of the tough decisions Tinubu has had to make.
Onanuga concluded by urging Nigerians to give President Tinubu credit where it’s due, stressing that some of the reforms, though painful, are designed to stabilize the economy and benefit all citizens in the long run.
Onanuga: Nigerians Forget History, Blame Tinubu Unfairly