Presidency Claims Tinubu 'Ready to Take More Bullets' for Nigerians, Lists His Biggest Achievements

• Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has defended President Bola Tinubu, saying he “took the bullets” to prevent Nigeria’s financial collapse
• The Tinubu administration cited reforms like subsidy removal, naira float, and economic indicators as key achievements
• Onanuga also acknowledged hardship and insecurity challenges while insisting the president's policies are beginning to deliver results

Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has defended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the Nigerian leader “took the bullets” to stop the country from collapsing financially after taking office in 2023.

Onanuga, who serves as Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, made the remarks in a lengthy post shared on X on Friday, May 29, amid growing political attacks ahead of the 2027 general election.

In the article titled “Bola Tinubu: the man who took the bullet for Nigeria to survive,” Onanuga accused opposition politicians of spreading “misinformation and calumny” against the government despite what he described as major economic and infrastructure achievements.

He argued that President Tinubu inherited a troubled economy marked by petrol scarcity, rising debt, multiple exchange rates and subsidy problems.

From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram.

“Debt servicing consumed 97 per cent of Federal revenue,” Onanuga claimed, as he defended the administration’s decision to remove fuel subsidy and float the naira shortly after Tinubu assumed office.

The presidential aide admitted that the reforms caused hardship for many Nigerians during the first year of the administration. However, he insisted that the policies have now begun to produce results.

“Only the blind will fail to admit that this government has taken the country miles away from the state it inherited in 2023,” he wrote.

Onanuga, who also dismissed criticisms that Nigerians are still struggling under the reforms, claimed opposition figures continue to repeat hunger-related complaints “without any empirical proof.”

Presidency points to market boom, mega projects

He pointed to the performance of the Nigerian stock market as evidence that the economy is improving. According to him, the All-Share Index rose from 53,000 points in May 2023 to 250,000, while market capitalisation increased from N30 trillion to N160 trillion.

The presidential spokesman further claimed that many state governments are now carrying out large infrastructure projects because of increased allocations from the federation account after Tinubu’s reforms.

He said governors across different states, including opposition governors, have privately and publicly acknowledged the impact of the new financial structure.

Onanuga also addressed criticism surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry road project, two of the administration’s biggest infrastructure plans.

He described Tinubu as a “transformative leader” willing to take bold decisions that previous governments avoided because of cost concerns.

“Myopic critics” attacking the projects, he said, failed to understand that such roads could not be built without borrowing.

Onanuga defends power supply, admits security challenges

The presidential aide also defended the government against attacks over electricity supply after critics resurfaced an old campaign video in which Tinubu promised better power supply.

According to him, electricity distribution companies, not the federal government, are responsible for delivering power directly to homes and businesses.

“What this government has done in the last three years has been to address the problems hindering the capacity of Discos to deliver,” he stated.

Onanuga listed other programmes introduced by the administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and CREDICORP. He claimed that about 1.6 million students have benefited from student loans and support schemes.

Despite strongly defending the administration, Onanuga admitted that insecurity remains a major challenge. He said terrorists and kidnappers still attack vulnerable communities even after military operations against armed groups.

He, however, expressed confidence that the situation would improve with support from countries such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

“The man who has taken the bullets to make Nigeria survive a fiscal disaster is even more willing to take additional bullets to make all Nigerians safe,” Onanuga wrote.

Read his full take below

Presidency denies Tinubu religion conversion claim

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Presidency debunked viral claims alleging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu converted from Islam to Christianity.

Presidential aide Olusegun Dada, who dismissed the report on social media, described the video as false and misleading.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.