Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised comments of presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, saying President Bola Tinubu administration is disconnected from the economic realities facing many Nigerians.

Mr Abdullahi was reacting to remarks by Mr Onanuga, who said he did not see the hunger many Nigerians complain about, arguing that many citizens were benefiting from Mr Tinubu’s reforms despite prevailing economic hardship.

“Mr Bayo Onanuga’s comments are not merely insensitive; they are a startling admission of how disconnected the APC government has become from the realities of the people it governs. 

“When over 80% of Nigerians are struggling to feed their families, pay school fees, afford transportation and keep their businesses alive, it is extraordinary that a senior presidential spokesman can publicly suggest that the hardship is somehow overstated or even contrived,” Mr Abdullahi said in his post on X. 

He stated that Nigerians were not exaggerating their hardship, adding that the cost-of-living crisis confronting the country was the result of economic policies introduced by the Tinubu administration.

“Food prices have soared, transportation costs have multiplied, the value of incomes and savings has been eroded, and millions of Nigerians who were managing before are now trapped in economic distress. This is not opposition propaganda. It is the daily lived experience of ordinary Nigerians in every state of the federation,” he wrote.

Peoples Gazette reported that Mr Onanuga, while appearing on ARISE TV on Tuesday, claimed he travelled by road from Lagos to Oyo State for a burial and found that the security situation was quite different from what is being portrayed in the media.

“I travelled from Lagos to Oyo for a burial. The problem is that the media in Nigeria are creating the problem. The way they report insecurity is as if the entire country is consumed,” he said during the interview. 

According to Mr Abdullahi, What makes Mr Onanuga’s comments particularly troubling is that they suggested a government that had become tragically insular and disconnected from the people.

“A sensible government does not measure the effects of its policies by merely looking at the people within its immediate circle or driving through paved roads. 

“It must listen to the people in the markets, on the farms, in the classrooms, in the workshops and in the streets. If the Presidency genuinely cannot see the hunger and hardship that Nigerians are talking about, then it raises serious questions about whether it sees the people at all,” he added. 

The ADC spokesman further noted that the APC government would undoubtedly point to road infrastructure projects as its achievements. 

“While even this is debatable, the fact remains that Nigerians cannot eat roads. The first responsibility of any government is to create economic conditions in which citizens can afford food, find jobs, run businesses and live with dignity,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi maintained that the Tinubu administration had failed a key test of governance, arguing that many Nigerians were worse off than they were when the government assumed office.

He further stressed that ADC believes that leadership begins with honesty, noting that the question is no longer whether Nigerians are suffering; Nigerians already know that they are. 

“After three years of promises, excuses and appeals for patience, the reality for 62% of Nigerians is that life is harder today than it was when this government took office.”

“The question is no longer whether Nigerians are suffering; Nigerians already know that they are,” he added.

“Until it does, comments such as those made by Mr Onanuga will only reinforce the growing perception that the APC government is out of touch with the people and unwilling to confront the damage that its economic policies have inflicted on ordinary Nigerians,” he concluded.