Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has said he does not share the view that the level of hunger often cited by critics reflects the reality across Nigeria, insisting that many citizens are already benefiting from policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said the administration’s interventions in infrastructure, education financing and workers’ credit support were producing tangible benefits for Nigerians despite ongoing economic challenges.
He cited recent road projects as evidence that government policies were improving daily life, recalling a journey from Ibadan to Lagos during which he took the Ijebu-Ode–Shagamu route after Google Maps indicated traffic on the regular approach to Lagos.
According to him, he was surprised to find himself driving on a newly constructed concrete road.
“One day I was traveling from Ibadan to Lagos, and Google Maps told me that there’s a go-slow in the approach to Lagos, and I decided to take Ijebu-Ode via Shagamu. What struck me most was that I just found myself on a paved road, concrete road. I said, ‘Wow, when was this one built?’” he said.
Onanuga said the road project had changed public perception in the area, adding that many residents who previously complained now had reason to appreciate the development.
“I found that our people, I mean, our Ijebu people, have stopped complaining. I said, ‘Oh, no wonder they now have a brand new road that’s not just an asphalt road, a concrete road,’” he added.
The presidential aide also pointed to the Lagos coastal road project, saying it had reduced his travel time from Ajah to Lagos from about two hours and 30 minutes to nearly one hour.
“I live in Ajah. Anytime I go to Lagos, and I ask Google Maps to tell me how soon I will get home, Google Maps will tell me one hour, seven minutes. Before, it was two hours, 30 minutes, and the reason for that is that we now have a coastal road that has shortened my travel time,” he said.
“Is that not beneficial? What are people talking about really?”
Onanuga further listed the Federal Government’s student loan scheme and low-interest credit facilities for civil servants as policies directly helping households.
“If you are a parent and you have four children in university, and they’re able to access federal loan, which is interest free, are they not benefiting?” he asked.
“If you are a civil servant and you can access the credit card, very cheap loan at below interest, it is about seven per cent. Now people can access that loan at single digit. Are they not benefiting as well?”
He argued that public debate had become dominated by fixed assumptions about hunger and hardship, tracing part of the narrative to a viral video recorded during the early days of the Tinubu administration.
According to him, the video, which showed the President returning from the Central Mosque in Lagos, was accompanied by a voice-over saying “Ebi n pawa o,” meaning “we are hungry.”
“I think the President went to Lagos, he was coming from the Central Mosque, and somebody now did a voice-over saying ‘Ebi n pawa o,’ and that means we are hungry. Since then, people have been saying that,” Onanuga said.
While acknowledging that Nigerians are facing economic difficulties, the presidential spokesman maintained that his personal interactions with people around him do not support the level of hunger being portrayed in public discourse.
“I’m a Nigerian. I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them, and I keep asking them questions: how are things, how are they adjusting, what are the problems?” he said.
His remarks come amid continued debate over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and liberalisation of the foreign exchange market, which have contributed to rising living costs.
The government has, however, repeatedly argued that the reforms are necessary to stabilise the economy, improve revenue, attract investment and place Nigeria on a more sustainable path.