Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga has dismissed calls by opposition figures to roll back President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying it “makes no sense” for rivals to seek the presidency while advocating a reversal of policies hailed by major investors.
Onanuga reacted on his official X-handle (formerly Twitter) to remarks by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote at the formal launch of the initial public offering for shares in the Dangote Refinery.
NewsQuest reports that at the event in Lagos, Dangote praised what he described as Tinubu’s bold economic decisions, including ending the fuel subsidy, liberalizing the foreign-exchange regime and backing the refinery project.
“I want to thank him for taking a lot of bold steps by removing the subsidy and democratising the exchange rate,” Dangote said, calling the measures critical to repositioning the economy.
Seizing on the endorsement, presidential spokesman Onanuga wrote that politicians who hope to replace President Tinubu “should listen to the encomium Aliko Dangote has showered on Tinubu and his policies.”
“It doesn’t make any sense for any politician to advocate a reversal of the policies that are making Nigeria great,” he added.
The exchange highlights a growing policy fault line ahead of the January 2027 presidential vote.
The presidency has repeatedly rejected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s pledge to reintroduce some form of fuel subsidy if elected, arguing that such a move would jeopardize fiscal stability and discourage private investment in domestic refining capacity.
Onanuga’s comments also continued an earlier, more personal critique of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, whom the adviser has called “overhyped” and “overrated.”
Obi has said he would keep the naira’s float if elected but has emphasized raising productivity to strengthen the currency rather than defending the current policy unchanged.
The debate described two competing political narratives: Tinubu’s camp presents subsidy removal and FX liberalization as necessary — if painful — reforms to attract investment and rebuild the economy, while some rivals promise targeted relief or partial reinstatement of support for households and small businesses.
