Bayo Onanuga Defends Tinubu Administration's Security and Economic Policies

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga defended the administration of President Bola Tinubu against claims of national insecurity and economic failure during an interview on Arise Television. Onanuga denied that Nigeria is under siege, asserting that while major security breaches occur, violence is limited to specific locations and does not reflect the safety of the entire country.

Onanuga accused Nigerian media organizations and opposition parties of exaggerating criminality to create a false impression of a country overwhelmed by terror. He defended the government's security statistics, including President Tinubu's claim of an 81 percent reduction in insecurity-related fatalities, stating the Presidency relies exclusively on data from the Office of the National Security Adviser. This position contradicts data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, which suggest terror-related deaths increased between 2015 and 2025.

Regarding the economy, Onanuga disputed the reported scale of public hunger, stating he has not personally observed such levels of distress. He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, a minimum wage increase of over 100 percent, and interest-free student loans as evidence of tangible relief and administrative success. He argued that public narratives are often driven by negative assumptions or viral videos rather than objective reality.