LAGOS JUNE 24TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Nigerian presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has said he does not believe the level of hunger frequently highlighted by critics reflects the reality across Nigeria, insisting that many citizens are benefitting from policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Onanuga stated this on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television, where he defended the government’s economic reforms and pointed to infrastructure projects, student loans and credit facilities for workers as evidence that the administration is delivering results.
According to him, several ongoing projects have improved the lives of Nigerians despite widespread complaints about rising food prices, inflation and the high cost of living.
Recounting a recent trip from Ibadan to Lagos, the presidential aide said he was surprised to discover a newly constructed concrete road along the Ijebu-Ode route after Google Maps redirected him due to traffic congestion.
“One day I was travelling from Ibadan to Lagos, and Google Maps told me that there was a go-slow on the approach to Lagos. I decided to pass through Ijebu-Ode via Shagamu. What struck me most was that I suddenly found myself on a paved concrete road. I said, ‘Wow, when was this one built?'” Onanuga said.
He claimed that the road project had changed the mood of residents in the area.
“I found that our people, our Ijebu people, have stopped complaining. I said, ‘Oh, no wonder they now have a brand-new road, not just an asphalt road but a concrete road.'”
Onanuga also cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, saying it had significantly reduced travel time for residents living in the Ajah axis of Lagos.
“I live in Ajah. Anytime I am going home from Lagos and I check Google Maps, it tells me one hour and seven minutes. Before, it used to be about two hours and 30 minutes.
“Is that not beneficial? What are people talking about really?”
The presidential spokesman further defended the government’s student loan programme, arguing that thousands of Nigerian families are benefiting from the initiative.
“If you are a parent and you have four children in university and they can access federal loans that are interest-free, are they not benefiting?” he asked.
He also pointed to low-interest credit facilities for civil servants as another example of government support.
“If you are a civil servant and you can access very cheap loans at below interest rates, about seven per cent, are you not benefiting as well?” he said.
Onanuga argued that public discussions about the economy have become dominated by negative assumptions while positive developments are often ignored.
“We have been pigeonholed into certain assumptions and certain conclusions,” he said.
He also referenced a viral video from the early days of Tinubu’s administration in which a voice-over suggested that Nigerians were suffering from hunger.
“I think the President went to Lagos and was coming from the Central Mosque, and somebody did a voice-over saying, ‘Ebi n pawa o’ — meaning we are hungry. Since then, people have been repeating it,” he said.
While acknowledging that Nigerians are facing economic challenges, Onanuga insisted that his personal observations do not support claims that hunger has reached the scale often 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.
SaharaReporters
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