Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has dismissed recent criticisms from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stating that Tinubu’s government should not be judged by the narrative of hunger from opposition leaders.
Atiku had recently claimed that two years into Tinubu’s presidency, there were still no signs that he could address Nigeria’s poverty and hunger crisis.
Reacting to Atiku’s claim during his appearance on TVC’s FCT Brief on Wednesday, Bwala argued that the former Vice President’s assertion was misleading.
“The most fundamental thing is the issue he (Atiku) has raised. Does he have a valid point? He does not because the data suggests otherwise,” Bwala said.
He accused opposition figures of deliberately attempting to discredit government efforts.
“What do you expect them to do other than to try their best to see how they can demarcate the government in order to create the buzz around what they do,” he said.
Citing progress in the economy and public services, Bwala insisted the administration’s policies were stabilising the system.
“For example, we have increased foreign reserves. Our net export has increased. We have less dependency on imports. We have created a structure that has stabilised the economy,” he said.
Bwala also highlighted government interventions, including healthcare improvements and student loan initiatives.
“He won’t talk about the Caesarean session we provided in all the hospitals in Nigeria — how the people don’t have to suffer. He doesn’t talk about the NELFUND we have provided. He should be able to speak and say whether it’s working or not.”
He accused opposition leaders of shifting their criticisms after they were proven wrong on policy direction.
“They started first by saying our economic model is wrong. Now, after two years, we’ve been able to prove them otherwise. They are dog whistling for civil unrest,” Bwala alleged.
According to him, hunger has always been a recurring challenge in Nigeria’s history, not unique to Tinubu’s administration.
“Nigerians were hungry in 1960, hungry in 1980, hungry in 1990, hungry in 1999. It was between 1999 to 2003 that somebody sang ‘Nigeria Jaga Jaga’. You mean he sang in abstract?” he asked.
“There has never been a time in which there is no one problem or the other as far as the Nigerian people is concerned. But judge the metrics. Judge us not by the rhetoric of Nigerians are hungry. Judge us by the dynamics of what we’re putting in place and whether it’s working,” he added.
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