• Only hardship is growing, Atiku differs
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has stated that the Nigerian economy is steadily improving under President Bola Tinubu, attributing the progress to the wide-ranging reforms being implemented across various sectors by the administration.
But former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, lashed out at the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, for gaslighting Nigerians who are lamenting growing hardship under Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, while receiving members and newly-elected executives of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), who visited his office, the minister acknowledged that, although challenges remain, the administration “is making steady progress” and successfully flattening the curve.
“The economy is not yet what we want it to be, but we can see that there is a steady progression. The President has said over and again that we are turning the corner. I know that many people will say it’s not yet El-dorado. Yes! I also agree but you cannot always say that there is no progress.
“Even all the rating agencies in the world are also giving Nigeria some pass mark. We are seeing some upward ticks in the way our economy is being managed,” he said.
Shaibu accused Onanuga of attempting to whitewash the grim economic realities facing millions of Nigerians under the current administration.
Onanuga had on Tuesday night, via his X (Twitter) account, responded to criticisms from Shaibu by saying, “Phrank, you know your problem? You have a problem of perception, and you only see the bad sides, not the positive news.”
In a swift rebuttal yesterday, Shaibu dismissed Onanuga’s comments as “gaslighting”, insisting that the suffering of Nigerians is not a matter of perception but a daily, painful reality.
“Bayo, stop gaslighting Nigerians,” Shaibu wrote on his verified X account. “This isn’t about perception; it’s about pain. And no amount of propaganda can deodorise the stench of this administration’s failure.” Shaibu went on to provide a detailed list of economic hardships that he said worsened since Tinubu assumed office.
“You talk about ‘positive news’ while the country is bleeding. Let’s break it down, so even your echo chamber can understand,” he said, citing the cost of rice, petrol and exchange before Tinubu assumed office.
