ABUJA, NIGERIA: Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has strongly rejected recent criticisms from Rauf Aregbesola. Aregbesola, who previously served as the Minister of Interior and is now the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, recently attacked the current administration. Onanuga described Aregbesola’s comments as the loud complaints of a man who failed during his time in public office.
The exchange began after Aregbesola spoke at the eighth national convention of his new party in Abuja. During the event, Aregbesola stated that the ruling party lacked clear plans and claimed its “Renewed Hope” agenda was a scam. He presented a report at the gathering, noting that his party was on a mission to save Nigeria from the tight grip of the ruling government.
Aregbesola did not hold back in his criticism. He accused the ruling party of changing election laws to make forgery acceptable, stating they were “decriminalizing criminality.” He also pointed out the declining state of the economy. He mentioned that the value of the naira dropped from about N700 per dollar when President Tinubu took office in 2023 to around N1,400. He called this total drop in value very damaging for a country that relies heavily on imported goods.
Furthermore, Aregbesola dismissed the government’s claim that it understands economics well. He highlighted the sharp rise in fuel prices. Before the current government took over, fuel cost between N185 and N238 per litre depending on the location. Now, he noted, it is around N1,400 per litre and still going up. This increase has made transport costs so high that many workers can no longer afford to travel to their offices.
Power supply was another major issue Aregbesola raised. He pointed out that while some areas get just two hours of electricity a day, others stay in total darkness for weeks or months. He reminded the public that the current administration once promised not to seek a second term if they failed to fix the power problem. According to him, the electricity situation has only gotten worse. As a result, Aregbesola advised President Tinubu to step down instead of trying to win another election. He accused the president of trying to keep power at all costs, even if it harms the nation’s democracy.
In response, Onanuga took to the social media platform X on Tuesday to defend the president. The deep history of this political rivalry, as investigated by Podium Reporters, shows a bitter fallout between former allies. Onanuga stated that Aregbesola has no moral right to judge the Tinubu administration because of his own poor performance in two major public offices.
Onanuga pointed out that Aregbesola failed to look at his own past as the governor of Osun State and as a federal minister. He noted that Aregbesola’s eight years as governor brought severe suffering to the people. Civil servants went for months without pay, and many retired workers died because they did not get their pension money. At that time, Osun State received negative federal funds and could only pay workers 20 to 30 percent of their normal salaries. Onanuga added that the governors who came after Aregbesola, Adegboyega Oyetola and Ademola Adeleke, had to work hard to clean up the big mess he left behind.
The presidential aide also criticized Aregbesola’s time as the Minister of Interior under former President Muhammadu Buhari. Onanuga noted that Nigeria saw the highest number of prison breaks in its history during that period, including the major Kuje Prison escape in Abuja in 2022. He stated that getting a Nigerian passport became a terrible experience for citizens. Additionally, there were 15 major attacks on prisons in places like Jos, Abolongo, Imo, Kabba, and Okitipupa. These attacks led to the escape of more than 4,000 prisoners who joined criminal gangs.
Onanuga found it funny that someone who failed to secure the nation’s prisons between 2019 and 2023 is now trying to teach others about security. He wondered if Aregbesola thought Nigerians had forgotten the past. He also warned citizens to be careful of politicians who are hungry for power but have no real plans. He accused the opposition of using rare terrorist attacks to make it look like the current government started the security problems.
Defending the current government’s achievements, Onanuga listed several positive changes. He mentioned that the minimum wage was increased by more than 100 percent. He also stated that inflation dropped from over 25 percent to below 15 percent, while foreign reserves and the gross domestic product saw positive growth.
Onanuga admitted that the government knows some of its policy changes have brought difficult side effects, especially for poor people. However, he stressed that over the last three years, the administration has rolled out several relief programs to help reduce these hardships. He concluded his message by turning the tables on the former minister, stating that the current agenda is not a trick, and that the politicians gathered in the African Democratic Congress are the actual scammers.