Amid rising economic hardship, the Tinubu-led administration has labelled opposition parties as ‘haters of Nigeria’s progress,’ claiming they are plotting to destabilise the country despite earlier warnings that the reform journey wouldn’t be easy.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, made the statement in a post on Tuesday while referencing a 2022 warning from the former Emir of Kano and ex-CBN governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
According to Onanuga, critics of the administration are now banding together to disrupt what he described as “the most focused, most transformative administration in Nigeria’s history.”
“Emir Sanusi warned Nigerians what to expect from President Tinubu’s reforms. ‘It’s not going to be easy,’ he said. ‘If anybody tells you it would be easy, don’t vote for him.’ Just two years after Tinubu began implementing the reforms, the haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history,” he wrote.
Onanuga’s comment comes as Nigerians continue to endure the harsh impact of the government’s tough economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and a floating naira, which have triggered inflation, job losses, and increased cost of living.
Sanusi, whose earlier statement was referenced, had urged Nigerians in 2022 to brace themselves for difficult decisions necessary to rescue the economy.
He warned against voting for any politician promising an easy path.
“Please let me request from our politicians. You must prepare the minds of Nigerians for difficult decisions. Anybody who tells you that it is going to be easy, please don’t vote for him. It is either he is lying to you or he doesn’t know what job he is going to do,” Sanusi had stated during the Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit.
He had also pointed out that correcting Nigeria’s economic problems would involve adjusting tariffs in key sectors like electricity and petroleum, while also tackling corruption and inflated figures in subsidy payments.
Sanusi further called for transparency in subsidy records.
“They must give names of the ships that came, and we must verify if those ships were in Nigeria on that date… There must be proof before you pay the subsidy,” he said.
While critics have accused the Tinubu administration of worsening poverty and hardship, the presidency continues to defend its policies as necessary sacrifices for long-term national recovery.
