THE Presidency has responded strongly to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s latest criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, describing his comments on hunger and poverty in Nigeria as “grossly misleading” and out of touch with the country’s current economic realities.
In a statement issued on Monday received by News Point Nigeria, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, dismissed Atiku’s warning that Nigeria was heading towards a possible revolution due to rising hunger and economic hardship.
“Talk is cheap. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his handlers are clearly out of touch with the positive developments currently unfolding in our country,” Onanuga said.
Atiku, in a statement earlier in the day, had compared the prevailing hardship in Nigeria to conditions that sparked major uprisings such as the French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian Revolution of 1917, warning that hunger could drive social unrest if left unaddressed.
But the State House insisted that Atiku’s claim did not reflect Nigeria’s economic trajectory, pointing to a string of encouraging economic indicators.
According to the Presidency, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate dropped for the fifth consecutive month in August 2025, falling from 21.88% in July to 20.12%, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The government also highlighted a record trade surplus, with non-oil exports now contributing 48% of total trade, almost at par with crude oil’s 52%.
Onanuga further revealed that foreign exchange reserves had risen to nearly $42 billion, up from $32 billion when President Tinubu took office.
He noted that the administration had successfully cleared more than $7 billion in inherited foreign exchange arrears, including $800 million owed to international airlines.
“Under President Tinubu, Nigeria is recording unprecedented revenues. States are now able to pay salaries and gratuities promptly and still have surplus funds for capital and social projects, an achievement not previously witnessed at this scale,” the statement read.
The Presidency also accused Atiku and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of playing politics with the country’s challenges and failing to take responsibility for what it called “years of economic mismanagement” during their time in power.
“Many of the challenges we face today stem from the economic errors of the PDP years, when Atiku was Vice President. President Tinubu and his team are working relentlessly to correct those errors with bold reforms,” Onanuga added.
The statement concluded by reaffirming President Tinubu’s commitment to delivering tangible results to Nigerians, stressing that “after just two years and five months in office, we are proud of the progress being made.”