TheNewsGuru

Tag: Bayo Onanuga

  • FG to empower 8m Nigerians across wards level – Onanuga

    FG to empower 8m Nigerians across wards level – Onanuga

    No fewer than eight million Nigerians are set to benefit from the Renewed Hope Empowerment Scheme across the political wards of the country.

    Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy,  disclosed this during Citizens’ Engagement with the people of Enugu State on Thursday in Enugu..

    A Federal Government team led by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, is embarking on a three-day citizens’ engagement and tour of projects in Enugu and Ebony states.

    The essence of the tour is to interact directly with citizens and showcase ongoing projects of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration in the South East region.

    Speaking at the event, Onanuga said that President Bola Tinubu is determined to make, at least, eight million Nigerians wealthy through the empowerment programme.

    He said the empowerment pogramme that will come on  board soon, will target 1000 Nigerians in each political ward of the country.

    “The programme is designed to address poverty at the wards level across the country. We have over 8,000 wards in the country. If you multiply 1000 beneficiaries in each ward, it will amount to eight million Nigerians

    “The programme will empower the targeted people with different types of entrepreneurship skills and opportunity to create wealth for themselves and their family.

    “The programme will soon start and we are sure, it will go a long way to create wealth for the beneficiaries, with a value chain effects,” Onanuga said.

    He appreciated the people of Enugu for coming out in large number  to engage with the federal government team.

    The president’s spokesman also  solicited their continuous support, stressing that Tinubu is committed to empowering Nigerians and making the people happy.

  • BREAKING: Tinubu set to travel to Japan, Brazil with stop over in Dubai

    BREAKING: Tinubu set to travel to Japan, Brazil with stop over in Dubai

    President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil. The President will stop over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding to Japan.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

    “In Japan, President Tinubu will attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in the City of Yokohama from August 20 to 22.

    “With the theme “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” TICAD9 will focus on Africa’s economic transformation and improvements in the business environment and institutions through private investment and innovation. It will also promote a resilient and sustainable African society for human security, peace, and stability,” the statement reads.

    According to Onanuga, in addition to attending plenary sessions on themes linked to the conference, the Nigerian President will hold bilateral meetings and meet the chief executive officers of some Japanese companies with investments in Nigeria.

    “Initiated in 1993 by the Japanese government and co-hosted by the United Nations, UNDP, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank, TICAD is a triennial conference held alternately in Japan and Africa. The last one took place in August 2022 in Tunisia.

    “The forum fosters high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.

    “At the end of the TICAD9, President Tinubu will leave for Brasilia, the capital of the Federative Republic of Brazil, on a two-day state visit from Sunday, August 24, to Monday, August 25.

    “This follows an invitation by the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

    “While in Brazil, President Tinubu will hold a bilateral meeting with his host and attend a business forum with Brazilian investors.

    “His delegation—comprising key ministers and senior officials—will explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation and sign agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Brazilian government,” Onanuga stated.

  • It insults Nigerians – Bayo Onanuga rubbishes Peter Obi, Lee Kuan Yew comparison

    It insults Nigerians – Bayo Onanuga rubbishes Peter Obi, Lee Kuan Yew comparison

    Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has rubbished a viral social media post that likened the Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

    This comes after a social media influencer Alex Onyia via the microblogging platform, X, made a post saying. “Peter Obi is like Lee Kwan Yu of Singapore. Leaders like him come once in a generation.”

    Reacting, Onanuga via the comment section of the post, dismissed the statement, noting that it was deeply insulting to Nigerians. The presidential aide argued that Obi’s record as a two-term governor of Anambra State did not reflect visionary leadership and any sort of development.

    He added that the former LP candidate, left Awka, the State capital of Anambra, worst than he met it.

    He wrote, “I find posts like Onyia’s very amusing. He is possibly posting for some idiots to gobble everything he says. How can anyone in his right senses compare Peter Obi with the late Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew, a name Onyia misspelt?”

    “Peter Obi was not an exemplary governor of Anambra. He didn’t show any vision of development. He did not build a classroom, as has been said irrefutably. Indeed, he left Awka, the capital, worse than he met it.”

    He added in Yoruba, “If a man wants to be sharp and bright, he shows the traits in infancy,” implying Obi never showed the kind of promise associated with transformational leadership.

    Onanuga concluded by urging Onyia to “delete your egregious joke. You have insulted Nigerians.

  • Presidency reacts to Obasanjo’s purported plans to back opposition coalition, ADC

    Presidency reacts to Obasanjo’s purported plans to back opposition coalition, ADC

    President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has reacted to reports alleging that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is set to back members of the opposition coalition and declare support for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    TheNewsGuru reports that the post via 𝕏 reads, “BREAKING: Obasanjo allegedly set to declare public support for ADC, says Nigeria needs a new force to end failure.”

    Reacting to the post, Onanuga via the comment of the post stated that the report is bad news for the ‘tottering coalition’, stating that the opposition political figures will inevitably fail.

    According to him, Obasanjo had supported opposition parties in both the 2019 and 2023 general elections, but they all lost.

    He wrote, “This is bad news for the tottering coalition. Obasanjo endorsed opposition parties in 2019 and 2023. They all failed.”

    It would be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo in May 2018, made a significant impact when his Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a platform to challenge the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Obasanjo, former Osun State governor and CNM co-convener, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and several other political stakeholders had attended the announcement, made during a press conference on May 10, 2018. several other political stakeholders.

  • Tinubu’s reforms have eased cost of living; Nigerians now making money from exporting Zobo – Onanuga

    Tinubu’s reforms have eased cost of living; Nigerians now making money from exporting Zobo – Onanuga

    Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has said reforms by the President have eased cost of living and that Nigerians are now making money from exporting Zobo.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mr Onanuga said this while speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Sunday, stressing that the positive effects of President Tinubu’s policies would soon be felt across all segments of the nation.

    Onanuga said Nigerians will soon start to experience a reduction in the cost of living, as the effects of the administration’s economic reforms start to materialise.

    He highlighted that President Tinubu had not only introduced progressive reforms but had also tackled challenges that previous administrations avoided.

    He added that two years is an insufficient yardstick to fully measure the administration’s achievements, noting that policy experts typically assess the impact of policies over a period of 10 years to 12 years.

    “The President’s years in office began with clear policy directions and implementation. A lot of reforms have taken place across sectors. The President has laid down many fundamentals that would ensure growth,” he stated.

    He acknowledged that while the positives of the President’s actions over the past two years were gradually trickling down, a significant paradigm shift had occurred in the economy, addressing many pre-existing problems.

    Onanuga, while referring to the situation before the subsidy removal, said, “There was no fuel. Many stations were saying no fuel, no fuel.

    “What was happening at that time was that the NNPC had reached the bottom point. It had no money to import fuel, it claimed that it was owing suppliers about six billion dollars and the government was owing it about four trillion dollars. So, it could not import any more.”

    Addressing concerns about borrowing, Onanuga clarified that it is a common practice globally, with even countries like the U.S. engaging in it.

    “Nigeria has abundant resources that we are harnessing, but not as much readily available money as people might think,” he explained.

    He stressed that borrowed funds were not squandered but rather used for their intended purposes, citing large-scale projects like the coastal roads that necessitate external financing due to their immense benefits.

    Regarding currency devaluation, Onanuga explained that it is a universal economic principle, citing instances where even the UK and the U.S. have resorted to it.

    “Even UK and the U.S at some point devalued. These are economic principles that are universal and cannot be changed because it is Nigeria,” he asserted.

    He added that the government had made tough decisions and simultaneously created opportunities through infrastructure development, noting that many ongoing road constructions were not initially part of the budget.

    Onanuga further stated that Nigeria had seen an increase in production and a rise in disposable income.

    He pointed to companies like Nestle and Nigerian Breweries, which initially faced challenges but were now sourcing materials locally and reporting profits.

    “This economy has opened up opportunities in many forms for Nigerians. Those who can really exploit it. And they are making money,” he emphasised, giving examples of individuals making profits from exporting agricultural products like cocoa and even Zobo.

    According to him, many companies are now investing and producing in Nigeria, and these positive shifts will soon become evident and tangible for all Nigerians.

    Onanuga stressed the importance of public understanding of the economic context, saying, “We don’t do our people any good when we keep on pushing stories of gloom and doom without allowing them to see the truth, without allowing them to see the context, and without allowing them to know that there’s actually light at the end of the tunnel.”

  • Tinubu welcomes upgrade of Nigeria’s foreign-currency rating to B3

    Tinubu welcomes upgrade of Nigeria’s foreign-currency rating to B3

    President Bola Tinubu says Moody’s Investors Service’s recent upgrade of Nigeria’s long-term foreign-currency issuer rating from Caa1 to B3, with a Stable Outlook, is a welcome development.

    Describing it as a significant vote of confidence in the country’s economic direction and ongoing reform agenda, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, said this in a statement.

    President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining prudent economic management while promoting inclusive growth.

    “This upgrade signals to global investors and partners that Nigeria is back on a path of responsibility, reform, and renewed credibility.

    “It underscores our unwavering commitment to transparency, discipline, and prosperity for all Nigerians.

    “This positive rating reinforces global confidence in Nigeria’s future and represents a milestone in the administration’s goal of restoring investor trust, unlocking economic potential, and securing long-term prosperity.

    “The upgrade reflects growing international recognition of Nigeria’s progress in stabilising its macroeconomic environment, enhancing fiscal transparency, improving debt sustainability, and implementing market-oriented reforms under President Tinubu’s leadership.”

    According to Moody’s, the improved rating is based on “a more resilient fiscal position, stronger external accounts, and the government’s demonstrated commitment to macroeconomic and structural reforms.”

    This includes measures such as unifying the foreign exchange market, removing fuel subsidies, increasing non-oil revenue, and restoring credibility to monetary policy through actions by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    The upgrade is expected to improve Nigeria’s access to international capital markets, reduce borrowing costs, and attract foreign direct investment, further accelerating economic revitalisation and job creation.

  • Tinubu makes more appointments into federal institutions

    Tinubu makes more appointments into federal institutions

    President Bola Tinubu has appointed additional people to fill vacancies in the governing councils of some Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

    Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, in a statement on Wednesday, said Hon. Chidi Nwogu from Imo was appointed as a member of the council of African Aviation and Aerospace University, Abuja.

    Dr Folashade Kareem from Kwara was also appointed into the council of University of Jos, Plateau, and Dipe Adeniyi from Lagos State, was appointed as member of the council of Federal University of Technology, Ikot-Abasi, Akwa-Ibom.

    Others are: Akanimo Umoh, Akwa Ibom, Member, Council of Federal University of Technology, Babura, Jigawa; Mr Babatunde Jinadu, Lagos State, Member, Council of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State, and Mr Chijioke Okeifufe, from Enugu State, Member, Council of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

    Similarly, the President appointed Hon. Babatunde Olokun, Ogun, and Hon. Isah Ambaka, Nasarawa State, as Members, Council of Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State; Dr Olusegun Ategbole, Ondo State, Member, Council of Federal University, Wukari, Taraba.

    The President also appointed Hon. Isa Song, Adamawa, and Hon. Bernard Miko, Rivers, as Council Members, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe; Mr Muyideen Balogun, Ogun, Member, Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila Orangun, Osun.

    Also appointed were: Hon. Mayegun Yomi, Lagos State, Member, Council, Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State; Hon. Abbas Braimah, Edo, Council Member, Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara, and Dr Adebimpe Adebajo, Ondo State, Council Member, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State.

    Hon. Bawa Bwari, Niger, was also appointed Council Member, Nigeria Arabic Language Village, Borno; Hon. Bello Bagudu, Kebbi State, and Hon. Nasarawa Mani, Katsina State, Council Members, Federal University of Health Sciences, Katsina, Katsina State.

    Hon. Shehu Kagara, Kaduna State, was also appointed Council Member, Federal Polytechnic Isuochi, Umunnoechi, Abia; Dr Francis Ogbise, Bayelsa, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra, and Hon. Almajiri Geidam, Yobe, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Munguno, Borno.

    Tinubu also appointed Rahila Ilegbodu, Taraba, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Origin, Delta; Hon. Shehu Lambu, Kano State, Council Member, National Institute of Construction Technology, Uromi, Edo, and Hon. Yusuf Mai Adua, Sokoto State, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo, Gombe State.

    Yet again, the President appointed Saleh Mohammed, Jigawa, Council Member, Hussaini Adamu Federal Polytechnic, Kazaure, Jigawa; Hon. Adekola Aliu, Osun, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Daura, Katsina State; Waidi Ayinla, Osun, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara.

    Hon. Hashimu Abdullahi, Sokoto State, was appointed Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, N’yak, Plateau; Hon. Abdullahi Abubakar, Bauchi State, Council Member, Federal Polytechnic, Bali, Taraba; Ibrahim Abba Geidam, Yobe, Council Member, Federal College of Education, Gwoza, Borno.

    Mohammed Nura, Kebbi State, was similarly appointed Council Member, Federal College of Education, Pankshun, Plateau; Hon. Abdulkadir Global, Kaduna State, Council Member, Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi, and Hon. Usman Balkore, Sokoto State, Council Member, Federal College of Education (Technical), Ekiadolor, Edo.

    Hon. Goodluck Opiah from Imo was appointed member of the Governing Council of Federal College of Education, Odugbo, Benue, while Hon. Bassey Etim, Akwa Ibom, Hon. Chris Eta, Cross River and Hon. Shuaib Yahaya, Katsina State, were appointed into the Governing Council of Federal College of Education, Omoki, Rivers.

    Hon. Sani Anka, Zamfara, was also appointed, Council Member, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, Oyo State and Hon. Yusuf Dikko, Jigawa, Council Member, Federal College of Education (Technical), Keana, Nasarawa State.

    Finally, Hon. Deacon Taiye, Kwara, Council Member, Federal College of Education, Ilawe, Ekiti State, and Hon. Isa Lawal Doro, Katsina State, Council Member, Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta.

    All appointments take immediate effect.

  • Presidency knocks AfDB’s Adesina, says Nigeria’s 1960 GDP per capita was $93, not $1,847

    Presidency knocks AfDB’s Adesina, says Nigeria’s 1960 GDP per capita was $93, not $1,847

    The Presidency has rejected the recent claim by the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, that Nigeria’s current economic state is worse than it was at independence in 1960.

    Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed Adesina’s assertion that Nigeria’s GDP per capita has fallen to $824, lower than $1,847 allegedly recorded in 1960.

    According to Onanuga, available data contradicts the figures cited by the AfDB President.

    He stated that Nigeria’s actual GDP in 1960 was $4.2bn for a population of 44.9 million, resulting in a per capita income of approximately $93—not the $1,847 claimed by Adesina.

    “Our country’s GDP did not rise remarkably until the 1970s, when crude earnings ballooned. In 1970, our GDP rose to $12.55 billion. In 1975, it was $27.7 billion, $64.2 billion in 1980, and $164 billion in 1981. Up until 1980, per capita income did not exceed $880. It rose to $2187 in 1981 and dropped to $1844 in 1982. In 2014, after rebasing, it reached an all-time high of $3,200.

    “These facts raise questions about the source of Dr Adesina’s figures,” said Onanuga.

    He further argued that GDP per capita is a limited metric for assessing living standards and should not be used in isolation to determine whether Nigerians are better or worse off than they were in the past.

    “Dr Adesina should know that GDP per capita is not the only criterion used to determine whether people live better lives now than in the past. Indeed, it is a poor tool for assessing living standards.

    “Its primary usefulness is in giving us the metrics to compare economic output in a country or between countries.

    “GDP masks many activities in a country’s economy. It neither discloses wealth distribution or income inequality nor accounts for the informal economy, which experts have said is enormous. It does not account for subsistence farming or income transfer from one family member to another.

    “GDP per capita is silent on whether Nigerians in 2025 enjoy better access to healthcare, education, and transportation, such as rail and air transport, than in 1960,” noted the presidential aide.

    Highlighting developmental strides since independence, Onanuga cited increased access to education, healthcare, road networks, and telecommunications.

    “This premise alone suggests why Dr Adesina should not have arrived at his conclusion. Compared with 1960, Nigeria today has more primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. We have more road networks and more medical facilities, private and public. We have phenomenal access to telephones. At Independence, we had 18,724 operational phone lines for a population of about 45 million. Over 200 million Nigerians now enjoy near-universal access to mobile phones and digital services, indicating we are better off today than 65 years ago.

    “In our country, policymakers know that whatever GDP figure NBS publishes may not capture our economy’s full depth and breadth if it fails to include the informal economy, which some pundits have said may even be more significant than the formal economy. This underscores why Dr. Adesina should have considered all aspects of our economy before concluding.

    “When Vodacom, a telecommunications company, considered entering the Nigerian market in 1999 or 2000, its consultants, using the available GDP metrics, advised against it. They believed that Nigerians were too poor to afford GSM services. However, MTN and other companies that entered the market later proved them wrong, demonstrating that GDP figures alone do not provide a complete picture of a country’s economic potential or the living standards of its people.

    “MTN and other adventurers came later, and they laughed all the way to the bank. More than 20 years later, they are still laughing despite some setbacks in 2023 and 2024. In its first-quarter results this year, MTN declared revenue of N1 trillion and an increase of 8.2 percent in subscriptions, which took the number of its voice and data users to 84 million. Does this MTN experience correlate with a country worse off than in 1960, when we had analogue telephones and the number of lines was fewer than 20,000?

    “No objective observer can claim that Nigeria has not made progress since 1960. Today, as we await the NBS’s recalibration of our GDP, we can comfortably say without contradiction that it is at least 50 times, if not 100 times, more than it was at Independence,” Onanuga added.

    He suggested Adesina’s comments were politically charged and lacked proper due diligence. “He spoke more like a politician than the head of a multilateral financial institution,” Onanuga said.

    Adesina had made the claim during a keynote address at Chapel Hill Denham’s 20th anniversary event in Lagos, where he warned that Nigeria’s economic model needs urgent transformation.

    The AfDB chief compared Nigeria’s progress with that of South Korea and laid out a f

  • Presidency reveals how Tinubu will mark 73rd birthday

    Presidency reveals how Tinubu will mark 73rd birthday

    The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has disclosed that the president will mark his 73rd birthday on Saturday with a special prayer session at the National Mosque in Abuja.

    According to Onanuga, the president will join fellow Muslims in prayer on Friday and use the occasion to express gratitude to God for divine preservation and support in his leadership of the nation.

    Tinubu’s birthday falls during the holy month of Ramadan and is two months before the second anniversary of his administration.

    Onanuga added that the president will focus on spiritual reflection and pray for Nigeria’s ongoing peace, progress, and prosperity.

    The presidential aide also encouraged Nigerians to join in prayer from their respective places of worship.

    Quoting Tinubu, “I am deeply thankful to Allah for the gift of life and the privilege to serve this great nation. As I mark another birthday and look forward to our second anniversary, my heart is filled with renewed hope for Nigeria. I urge all citizens to pray for divine guidance, unity, and healing for our land. Together, we shall overcome challenges and build a nation where every citizen thrives.”

  • Watch what you say and stop playing to the gallery- Presidency warns Obi over his stance on Nigerian democracy

    Watch what you say and stop playing to the gallery- Presidency warns Obi over his stance on Nigerian democracy

    The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has responded to the recent statement by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, at the Emeka Ihedioha Colloquium.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the former Anambra governor sparked controversy, after declaring that democracy had collapsed in Nigeria, as he laments the state of governance in the country.

    According to Obi, “Democracy has collapsed in Nigeria. Everything has been knocked down. We are in a situation where we should stop lamenting and start rebuilding.”

    The presidential candidate further pointed to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, particularly the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the state assembly, as clear evidence of the country’s failing democratic institutions.

    He argued that such incidents exemplify a broader breakdown of the rule of law and democratic governance, suggesting that the political unrest was reflective of a deeper structural issue within the nation’s governance.

    Reacting to Obi’s remark on Nigeria’s democracy, Onanuga via the microblogging platform, X formerly Twitter described the statements as exaggerated and unfounded.

    The presidential spokesmen further noted that, while Nigeria faces political challenges, Obi’s description of the country’s democracy as having collapsed was misleading and overly dramatic.

    Charging Obi to watch what he say, Onanuga wrote, “I listened multiple times to former Governor Peter Obi’s statement in this clip, where he claims that democracy has collapsed in Nigeria. His hyperbolic remarks, suited for headlines, have been made without deep reflection and lack a solid logical foundation.

    “How can a democracy that has strengthened over the past 26 years be said to have collapsed? Only a discontented and disgruntled Peter, who benefits from the very free speech democracy provides, could perceive such a democratic downfall through his lens.

    “If democracy had indeed collapsed, as Peter claims, and we were living under a regime antithetical to democratic principles, he would not have been able to make his comments on Monday at Emeka Ihedioha’s colloquium. I will urge him to watch what he says and restrain himself from playing to the gallery.”