Presidency fires back at Atiku over criticism of Tinubu’s economic reforms

November 04, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Presidency has responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform program, describing it as “cheap talk” and a “flowery to-do list”.

Atiku had questioned Tinubu’s approach to economic reform, but the Presidency argues that his ideas lack detail and were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 election.

According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Atiku’s past record as Vice President under President Olusegun Obasanjo shows he is not credible to criticize Tinubu’s policies.

Onanuga cited Atiku’s supervision of a questionable privatization program and his lack of faith in Nigeria’s educational system as examples.

“First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.

“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism” Onanuga wrote.

He added, “As vice president, Atiku supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.

“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.

“Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.

“His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.

“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser” He mentioned

The Presidency emphasized that Tinubu’s administration prioritizes social safety nets and targeted support for vulnerable individuals, contrary to Atiku’s claims that the President is unfazed by the country’s economic struggles [4).

In another development, Atiku criticized the Lagos-Calabar highway construction project, alleging it did not follow due procedure and was motivated by Tinubu’s vested interests.

However, the Presidency dismissed this claim, stating that Atiku lacks credentials to criticize Tinubu’s economic reforms.