The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has questioned claims that Nigerians are experiencing widespread hunger, saying he does not see the level of hardship being frequently complained about by citizens.
Onanuga made the remarks while speaking on the ARISE TV Prime Time Show.
He said public perception of hardship had been shaped by narratives that emerged early in the administration, referencing a viral voiceover incident involving President Bola Tinubu.
“Since then, people have been saying that, we are hungry. I’m a Nigerian. I have people working for me, privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about,” he said.
“I keep asking them questions. How are things? How are they adjusting? What are the problems?” he said.
According to him, he discovered a newly constructed concrete road along the Ijebu-Sagamu axis which has improved connectivity.
“I said, wow, when was this one built? I’ve not been to Ijebu for some time, and the few times I’ve been there, I only came through Akure. So I said, wow, this is different,” he said.
“I live in Ajah. Anytime I go to Lagos and ask Google Maps to tell me how soon I get home, Google Maps will tell me one hour, seven minutes. Before, it was two hours, 30 minutes,” he said.
He argued that such infrastructure improvements should be considered benefits to Nigerians, asking whether citizens who use the projects were not gaining from them.
“If you have students, if you are a parent, and you have four children in university, and they are able to access federal loans, which are interest-free, are they not benefiting?” he asked.
He added that civil servants could now access loans at lower interest rates.